Department of Health and Social Care

Medical Treatments

Derek Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many deep brain, vagal, sacral, spinal cord and occipital nerve stimulator implantations have been undertaken in each NHS trust in each of the last five years.

Stephen Barclay: An error has been identified in the written answer given on 01 November 2018.The correct answer should have been:

The information is not available in the format requested.  The information we do hold is attached and shows a count of finished consultant episodes (FCEs) by National Health Service trust from 2013-14 to 2017-18. The data shows FCEs rather than patients, as the same patient may have had more than one FCE within the same period.



PQ183364 attached document
(Excel SpreadSheet, 43.95 KB)

Steve Brine: The information is not available in the format requested.  The information we do hold is attached and shows a count of finished consultant episodes (FCEs) by National Health Service trust from 2013-14 to 2017-18. The data shows FCEs rather than patients, as the same patient may have had more than one FCE within the same period.



PQ183364 attached document
(Excel SpreadSheet, 43.95 KB)

Tuberous Sclerosis: Medical Treatments

Ben Bradley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure patients with refractory epilepsy related to tuberous sclerosis complex are able to access new medicines.

Steve Brine: Patients with tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) have access to standard anti-epileptic drugs and whilst not licensed specifically for use in association with TSC, there is evidence that two thirds of patients will respond to treatment. A relatively new option specifically licensed for refractory epilepsy in TSC is everolimus (Votubia) which is due to be considered for prioritisation within the National Health Service in England in December as part of NHS England’s biannual relative prioritisation process for specialised services. The life sciences sector deal, published last autumn, will ensure that the next wave of breakthrough treatments, innovative medical research and technologies are created in Britain. A key part of the deal was our commitment to improving patient access to innovation through the implementation of the Accelerated Access Review.

Alprazolam: Misuse

Bambos Charalambous: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what progress the Medicines and Healthcare Regulatory Agency has made in tackling the diversion of Xanax from the regulated supply chain to the criminal market; for what reason that diversion has taken place; how many prosecutions there have been; and what plans have been put in place to prevent that diversion.

Jackie Doyle-Price: Xanax is a licensed medicine and is scheduled under the Misuse of Drugs Act (Class C) for which the Home Office is responsible. Its availability on the NHS is limited. It could only be obtained through the legitimate supply chain as an unlicensed “Special” if an available licensed medicine could not meet patients’ clinical needs. The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has found no evidence of diversion of Xanax from the legitimate supply chain. There have therefore been no prosecutions in relation to the diversion of Xanax from the legitimate supply chain. Without evidence of diversion of Xanax from the legitimate supply chain, the MHRA has no plans to put in place specific action to tackle its diversion at this time.

Grenfell Tower: Fires

Mr David Lammy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps have been taken to ensure that there is ongoing and adequate support for survivors of the Grenfell Tower fire who are experiencing trauma.

Jackie Doyle-Price: NHS England announced on 9 October 2018 that up to £50 million will be made available over five years to ensure that adequate and ongoing physical and mental health services are available for those affected by the Grenfell fire. National Health Service emergency services responded immediately to the fire and its immediate impact, and the NHS has since worked closely with the local community groups to develop services that are informed by the views and needs of local people. For people suffering from trauma, a range of therapeutic approaches are available, including: stabilisation, family therapy, psycho-education, Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing, and Cognitive Behavioural Therapy.

Grenfell Tower: Fires

Mr David Lammy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate has been made of the number of people with (a) reported health conditions related to exposure to smoke and dust and (b) disclosed mental health issues as a result of the Grenfell Tower fire.

Mr David Lammy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many survivors of the Grenfell Tower fire have been referred to psychological services.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The information requested is not collected centrally.

Mental Health Services: Offenders

Chris Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of the level of access to mental health services for people who have been recently released from prison.

Chris Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of the level of access to mental health services for people in prison.

Chris Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of the quality of mental health services available for people in prison.

Jackie Doyle-Price: Improving the physical and mental health of people in prison is a top priority for this Government. It is recognised that there are large numbers of people in prison with mental ill health. When people do go to prison, they should receive the same standard and access to National Health Service healthcare and mental health treatments and care as people in the community. The Department has not made a formal assessment of levels of access and quality of mental health services for people in prison. It is important to ensure that care started in prison can be continued on release into the community. Offenders should have the same access to healthcare services as everyone else once they are released from prison. Progress has been made in this area and general practitioner practices are now required to pre-register prisoners prior to their release.

Influenza: Vaccination

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether all GP practices in the (a) Stroud constituency and (b) England have sufficient supplies of the FluMist flu vaccine to vaccinate all vulnerable groups including those eligible through age.

Steve Brine: Public Health England (PHE) centrally procures flu vaccines for the children’s national flu immunisation programme, these being the nasal spray Fluenz Tetra supplied by AstraZeneca and a quadrivalent inactivated influenza vaccine supplied by Sanofi Pasteur. This programme provides influenza vaccination for children between the ages of two and 17 years of age. If the Fluenz Tetra nasal spray is unsuitable, children are offered the quadrivalent inactivated influenza vaccine as an alternative. Other vulnerable groups are offered alternative vaccines that are more effective in protecting them against influenza. Sufficient vaccine has been procured to ensure that all eligible children who present at general practices and schools for vaccination can be offered the appropriate vaccine. Stocks are carefully managed by PHE to ensure there is equitable distribution across England, including the Stroud constituency, and sufficient in-date vaccine for patients who present throughout the season.

Allergies: Medical Treatments

Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 9 October 2018 to Question 173542 on Allergies: Medical Treatments, what support his Department has provided to people affected by the national shortage of EpiPen 0.3mg auto-injectors.

Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 9 October 2018 to Question 173542 on Allergies: Medical Treatments, what assessment he has made of the effect of the national shortage of EpiPen 0.3mg Auto-Injectors on levels of supply of alternative epinephrine auto-injectors.

Steve Brine: The Department is working very closely with all the manufacturers of adrenaline auto-injectors, the Medicines and Health products Regulatory Agency, and NHS England to improve the situation as quickly as possible. Supplies of EpiPen 0.3mg and the alternative adrenaline auto-injectors are currently available in volumes that are sufficient to meet normal United Kingdom requirements and further deliveries of all three brands of adrenaline autoinjectors are expected in the coming weeks. Comprehensive information and guidance, with input from National Health Service allergy experts has been cascaded to all healthcare professionals, schools, patient groups and frontline NHS services, which provides information about the supply issue, management options and advice to share with patients.

NHS Property and Estates Review

Stella Creasy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to his Department's response to the Naylor Review of NHS estate published on 30 January 2018, how the £10 billion required will be raised; and how much of that funding will be provided through (a) private finance deals and (b) PF2 projects.

Stephen Barclay: The Government has considered its position on the Private Finance Initiative (PFI) and its successor PF2, in light of experience since 2012, and found the model to be inflexible and overly complex. As such, PF2 will no longer be used for any future Government project. However, the Government remains committed to the use of public-private partnership where it delivers value for the taxpayer and fairly transfers risk to the private sector. The Government has committed to consider proposals from the National Health Service for a multi-year capital plan to support transformation, as part of the long-term plan the NHS is currently developing. Future years capital funding will be set as part of the Spending Review next year.

Influenza: Vaccination

Mr Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of supply of the flu vaccine for (a) people aged over 65 and (b) in general in (i) England and (ii) Gloucestershire; and if he will make a statement.

Steve Brine: Providers are responsible for ordering flu vaccines for adults. This winter those aged 65 and over are being offered a newly licenced adjuvanted trivalvent influenza vaccine, Fluad which is intended to offer better protection to this age group. Manufacturer deliveries are being staggered from September to November which may result in some temporary local shortages. A quadrivalent influenza vaccine is recommended for adults aged 18 to 64. There currently remains a surplus of vaccine available to be ordered from manufacturers at a national level. We do not hold specific information on Gloucestershire. For children, Public Health England procures the vaccine centrally with eligible children. Stocks are carefully managed to ensure there is sufficient and equitable distribution across England.

Postnatal Care

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that the maternal six-week check is included in the GP contract when such contracts are negotiated.

Steve Brine: The inclusion of a requirement to carry out the six-week maternal postnatal check for all mothers in the general medical services contract would need to be negotiated and agreed, as part of the annual contract negotiations. We have asked for this issue to be considered in the contract negotiations for 2019/20. The details of those negotiations are not generally discussed until an agreement on the way forward has been reached.

Heart Diseases: Babies

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans to provide increased funding for research into congenital heart defects in babies.

Caroline Dinenage: The Department’s National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health, including congenital heart defects in babies. It is not usual practice to ring-fence funds for particular topics or conditions. Applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards being made on the basis of the importance of the topic to patients and health and care services, value for money and scientific quality. In all disease areas, the amount of NIHR funding depends on the volume and quality of scientific activity. The NIHR continues to fund and support a range of research into congenital heart defects in babies, including the following projects:- MRI-augmented guidance for X-ray fluoroscopic paediatric cardiovascular interventions (£415,000);- Mixed Reality Imaging of Congenital Heart Disease to Improve Surgical Decision-Making (£453,000); and- Infant deaths in the United Kingdom community following successful cardiac surgery - building the evidence base for optimal surveillance (£22.800).Information on individual projects funded by the NIHR can be found at the following link: https://www.journalslibrary.nihr.ac.uk/programmes/

Arthritis: Health Services

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that people living with rheumatoid arthritis receive adequate levels of treatment and support.

Steve Brine: The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) Guidance ‘Rheumatoid Arthritis in Adults: management’, updated in 2018, sets out best practice on the diagnosis, treatment, care support of people living with the condition. The guidance emphasises the need for early diagnosis, with urgent referral to a specialist rheumatologist on suspicion of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). This is because treatment at an early stage can halt progression of disease. The guidance also recommends patients with RA are managed by a multidisciplinary team, including physiotherapy, occupational therapy and psychology support. Patients can often be successfully managed disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) or biologic drugs if DMARDs do not produce the desired results or are not tolerated. Biologicals target individual molecules and tend to work more quickly than conventional DMARDs. Local National Health Service commissioners should take NICE guidance into account when planning services for local populations. The full guidance can be viewed at the following link: www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng100/resources/rheumatoid-arthritis-in-adults-management-pdf-66141531233989

NHS Trusts: Debts

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimates his Department has made of the outstanding debts of NHS trusts in (a) Dulwich and West Norwood, (b) Greater London and (c) England.

Stephen Barclay: The Department and entities within its accounting boundary report on the basis of European Union Adopted International Financial Reporting Standards as interpreted and adapted for the public sector by HM Treasury’s Financial Reporting Manual (FReM). Debt is not a specific classification of liability that is reported by entities including National Health Service trusts. To provide a total liability amount for NHS trusts, either current and payable within 12 months or non-current and due to be settled beyond 12 months from the end of the financial year, would therefore include items which the Department would not expect to be viewed as debt. For this reason the Department has interpreted the term debt to refer to outstanding balances on loans both with the Department and with Other Entities. The attached table identifies the total level of loans outstanding for NHS trusts as at 31 March 2018, on a current and non-current basis. As the question specifically refers to NHS trusts, detail for NHS foundation trusts has been omitted. Loans held with the Department are eliminated on consolidation to arrive at the Group’s Consolidated Statement of Financial Position. As part of presenting a consolidated set of accounts, all intra group activity (including income, expenditure, assets and liabilities generated by intra group trading) is eliminated, so as to not overstate the Group position. For individual NHS trusts these loans with the Department represent a debt but this is not the case in regards to the Group position presented in the Department’s Annual Report and Accounts as balances held and transactions related to the loans held are eliminated.



PQ185717 attached table
(Word Document, 22.32 KB)

Health: Females

Colleen Fletcher: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he plans to take to develop a cross-departmental strategy on menstrual health management to tackle the stigma of periods.

Jackie Doyle-Price: Public Health England (PHE) is in the process of developing a five year cross sectoral action plan for reproductive health. The action plan will be divided into the themes of reproductive choice (choosing if when and how to become pregnant) and reproductive wellbeing. Menstrual issues, including stigma surrounding heavy menstrual bleeding will be a focus of the strategy, specifically with regards to effective information and communication and workforce training. PHE is aligning the work with the recently published Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) publications on guidance for menstrual wellbeing. The guidance is available at the following link: http://www.rcgp.org.uk/menstrualwellbeingtoolkit

Haematological Cancer: Medical Treatments

Colleen Fletcher: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what progress has been made on preparing hospitals in England to deliver CAR-T cell therapies for patients with blood cancer.

Steve Brine: NHS England is working with the manufacturers and NHS providers to prepare the National Health Service to begin delivering Chimeric Antigen Receptor T Cell (CAR-T) therapy - the first in a wave of treatments in a new era of personalised medicine and part of the NHS’s long-term plan to upgrade cancer service. The first treatment that will be available to patient is tisagenlecleucel (Kymriah) as an option for treating children and young people up to 25 years old with B cell acute lymphoblastic leukaemia that is refractory, in relapsed post-transplant or in second or later relapse. NHS England anticipates that the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence will recommend this treatment for entry into the Cancer Drugs Fund in mid-November. If so, funding will be made immediately available, following a successful commercial deal with the manufacturer Novartis. We anticipate the first patients will begin their treatment in late November 2018. The phased implementation required by the manufacturer and the NHS means that full capacity to treat eligible patients will take some months to achieve and a National CAR-T Clinical Panel will convene in mid-November to assure equity of access and prioritise eligible patients.

Hospices: Children

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 29 October 2018 to Question 183299 on Hospices: Children, what the value of the NHS England Children’s Hospice Grant will be in 2019-20.

Caroline Dinenage: End of life care is an important part of the proposals which are helping to shape the long-term plan for the National Health Service. The Children’s Hospice Grant is being considered as part of this. NHS England will continue working with key stakeholders to test the plan before its publication later this autumn.

Eyesight: Surgery

Mr Ranil Jayawardena: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that there are means of recourse against private sector providers for patients experiencing long-term side effects as a result of laser eye surgery performed by private providers.

Mr Ranil Jayawardena: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that providers of laser eye surgery clearly outline the risks of that procedure to patients prior to such surgery taking place.

Mr Ranil Jayawardena: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate his Department has made of the number of people experiencing long-term side effects as a result of laser eye surgery.

Caroline Dinenage: Public and private sector providers of laser eye surgery are required by law to register with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) for regulation and doctors in the United Kingdom are required to register with the General Medical Council (GMC). The CQC and the GMC have a range of powers for addressing failures in care. Providers are also expected to follow the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines on photorefractive (laser) surgery. The CQC, NICE and the Royal College of Ophthalmologists are all clear that the risks and complications of such procedures should be discussed with patients beforehand. No estimate has been made of the number of people experiencing long-term side effects as a result of laser eye surgery because this data is not held centrally.

Mental Health Services

Wes Streeting: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to reduce waiting times for patients in need of mental health treatment.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The Five Year Forward View for Mental Health is at the heart of Government plans to transform mental health services and a key part of this is ensuring a reduction in waiting times for key services. Following publication of the Five Year Forward View, the Government agreed the following waiting times and access targets with NHS England to be achieved by 2020/21: - For accessing ‘Improving Access to Psychological Therapies’ services 75% of referrals should be seen within six weeks and 95% should be seen within 18 weeks;- For eating disorder services 95% of referrals should be seen within four weeks for routine cases and 95% of urgent referrals should be seen within one week; and- For the Early Intervention in Psychosis programme 50% of people experiencing a first episode of psychosis should start a National Institute for Health and Care Excellence recommended package of care within two weeks of referral, rising to 60%. We are on track to meet these targets, which are tracked on the Five Year Forward View dashboard. The Five Year Forward View can be accessed at the following link: https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/Mental-Health-Taskforce-FYFV-final.pdf The dashboard can be accessed at the following link: https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/mental-health-five-year-forward-view-dashboard/ The Government announced its long term financial settlement for the National Health Service in June. This will represent an increase of £20.5 billion by 2023/24. The Government has asked NHS England to develop a long term plan by the end of the year. The 2018 Budget set out some of aspects of what the long term plan will contain, and further details will follow when the plan is published in due course.

NHS: Contracts

Melanie Onn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what proportion of payments for NHS England contracts to third party companies go to companies based outside of the Government’s jurisdiction for corporation tax purposes.

Melanie Onn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what proportion of NHS England contracts to third party companies go to companies based outside of the Government’s jurisdiction for corporation tax purposes.

Stephen Barclay: Information on National Health Service contracts entered into by NHS England and their local commissioning bodies - clinical commissioning groups - is not held centrally.

Social Services: Finance

Jim McMahon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what representations he has received from local authorities on the funding of adult social care in England.

Caroline Dinenage: The Secretary of State for Health and Social Care meets numerous individuals and often receives representations regarding adult social care as part of his ministerial duties over this policy area. Our records show 27 items of correspondence received from local authorities in the last six months about the funding of adult social care in England. This figure represents correspondence received by the Department’s Ministerial correspondence unit only. The Budget announced further funding for adult social care for 2018/19 and 2019/20 which local authorities will benefit from.

Chronic Illnesses: Life Insurance

Vernon Coaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on life insurance policies for people suffering from (a) long term medical conditions and (b) muscular dystrophy; and if he will make a statement.

Steve Brine: My Rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care meets Cabinet colleagues regularly to discuss a number of different issues.

Patients: Nutrition

Alison Thewliss: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure the supply of Nutricia Nutrini Energy Multi Fibre for people requiring percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy feeding after the UK leaves the EU.

Alison Thewliss: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure the supply of Nutricia Nutrini Energy Multi Fibre and similar products for those requiring percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy feeding in the event the the UK leaves the EU without a deal.

Stephen Barclay: The Government is working to ensure that the United Kingdom is able to cope with any potential delays at borders that may arise in the short term from the unlikely event of a no-deal outcome to our negotiations on exiting the European Union. Our planning will ensure that from the day the UK leaves the EU, we will have the necessary resources to continue to protect UK consumers from food safety risks and to ensure uninterrupted supplies of the foods they need, including foods for special medical purposes.

NHS: Crimes of Violence

Neil Coyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what additional (a) security and (b) other staff are planned to be recruited to deliver the zero tolerance approach towards violence against NHS employees.

Stephen Barclay: Employers across the National Health Service in England are responsible for protecting their staff and it is for them to decide locally whether they need any more security or other staff to address and manage challenging behaviours. The new Violence Reduction Strategy will help NHS organisations support their staff by ensuring they receive appropriate training, for example in de-escalation techniques and what to do if they are attacked or abused, improving the safety of the environments in which they work and ensuring local security management specialists who are appointed by trusts locally maintain their skills and knowledge through continuing professional development. The use of body cameras is being piloted by a few ambulance trusts to assess their effectiveness in protecting paramedics.

Mental Health Services: Young People

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the process for enabling young people to transition to adult mental health services at the age of 18; whether he plans to put in place a developmental approach to such transition; and if he will make a statement.

Jackie Doyle-Price: Some young people need ongoing support into young adulthood, after they leave children and young people’s mental health services. This point of transition is an important stage for young people, and it is not always easy. That is why, in January 2015, NHS England published a Model Specification for Transitions from Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services, to support better transition planning and delivery by local providers. Transition from children and young people’s mental health services has also been included as one of 13 mandatory national indicators in the Commissioning for Quality and Innovation scheme, 2017/19, which offers financial incentives to local areas to encourage improved transition planning for children and young people. To address issues of transition, some areas have already adopted a mental health service which supports young people from ages 0-25.

Rehabilitation

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 24 October to Question 183290 on Rehabilitation, when the review of community performance reporting was commissioned; who is undertaking that review; and what the (a) terms of reference and (b) time frame are for that review.

Steve Brine: There was no national data collection of the activity and outcomes of healthcare that takes place out of hospital, and so it was agreed via the National Information Board (NIB) and NHS England’s Data Co-ordination Group in 2016 to develop a community services dataset, which has had two distinct phases. The process that has been followed by NHS England is as follows. In the first phase, now completed, the Community Services Data Set (CSDS) was developed by removing the age cap from the Children and Young People’s Health Services dataset and has been collecting data since November 2017. NHS England continues to work with NHS Digital to encourage community service providers to complete their statutory obligations to submit data to improve the knowledge and information we have available nationally on services delivered locally. The CSDS will be further enhanced with a phase two development that will broaden the scope including outcome measures, and work is scheduled to begin on the scope shortly with plans to deliver in the autumn of 2020. Further work is also ongoing in NHS Digital to establish connectivity across national data sets to give longitudinal intelligence to support future planning processes.

Academic Health Science Networks: Hospitals

Jeff Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the report entitled, Understanding the performance and potential of specialist hospitals,  published by the Innovation Agency and UCLPartners Academic Health Science Partnership in October 2018 , whether he has plans to encourage a closer working relationship between academic health science networks and specialist hospitals to improve performance in the NHS.

Caroline Dinenage: As part of their licence, Academic Health Science Networks (AHSNs) are required to flexibly address specific local needs and challenges. In practice, this means that AHSNs will continue to build and develop their local and regional networks, strengthening relationships with all National Health Service organisations including specialist hospitals.

Mental Health Services

Jeff Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many people accessed eye movement desensitisation and reprocessing therapy on the NHS in each of the last three years.

Jeff Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what training his Department provides to NHS doctors on (a) eye movement desensitisation and (b) reprocessing treatment for cases of post traumatic stress disorder.

Jackie Doyle-Price: Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) is a National Health Service programme that offers a range of interventions for treating people with depression or anxiety. Eye Movement Desensitisation Reprocessing is one of the therapies that can be given to a patient referred to IAPT services. The following table shows the number of referrals to IAPT services in from 2014-15 to 2016-17, for which at least one appointment included Eye Movement Desensitisation Reprocessing as a treatment. Number of referrals with one or more appointments where Eye Movement Desensitisation Reprocessing was given as a treatment, England, 2014-15 to 2016-17 YearReferrals2016-176,6372015-165,2952014-152,922Source: NHS DigitalNotes:Due to a dataset version change, it has not been possible to identify Eye Movement Desensitisation Reprocessing as a therapy type in appointments prior to 1 July 2014. Therefore 2014-15 is only a partial year of data. Data are derived from annualised IAPT data. 2016-17 is the latest available data and is available at the following link: www.digital.nhs.uk/iaptreports This table presents counts of referrals. A referral is a request for a care service to be provided for a patient. Over time, a patient may have more than one referral to IAPT services and so a count of referrals is not a count of people. Medical training is the responsibility of the General Medical Council (GMC), which is an independent statutory body. The GMC has the general function of promoting high standards of education and co-ordinating all stages of education to ensure that medical students and newly qualified doctors are equipped with the knowledge, skills and attitudes essential for professional practice.The training curricula for postgraduate trainee doctors is set by the relevant medical Royal College, and must meet standards set by the GMC. Whilst curricula do not necessarily highlight specific conditions, they instead emphasise the skills and approaches that a doctor must develop and maintain in order to ensure accurate and timely diagnoses and treatment plans for their patients.The GMC also sets the standards expected at undergraduate level and approves medical school curricula.  In so doing, they set out the knowledge, skills and behaviours that new United Kingdom medical graduates must be able to demonstrate. This is further detailed at the following link: http://www.gmc-uk.org/education/undergraduate/undergrad_outcomes.asp

Drugs: Rehabilitation

Dr Dan Poulter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 25 October 2018 to Question 180694 on Alcoholic Drinks: Rehabilitation, how many in-patient beds are commissioned for the treatment of substance misuse in (a) England, (b) London and (c) Suffolk.

Steve Brine: This data is not collected centrally.

Harvoni

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to reduce the cost to the NHS of Harvoni; and if he will make a statement.

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the number of patients recommended the drug Harvoni by medical practitioners who have been denied access to the drug on grounds of affordability; and if he will make a statement.

Steve Brine: We are informed by NHS England that in order to ensure the best use of public funds, the National Health Service has used the procurement process to ensure that optimal value for money is achieved when purchasing drugs, which are used in secondary care. The NHS is working to ensure consistent use of clinically-appropriate lowest acquisition cost drugs. This has encouraged competitive pricing in return for market share. This process has allowed for an increase in the number of patients being cured within the available resources, with in excess of 30,000 patients with hepatitis C treated so far. The NHS is currently undertaking a long-term strategic procurement to increase treatment and improve value further. NHS England’s Commercial Medicines Unit’s six-monthly tenders, together with innovative approaches which mean the NHS is given a refund if a course of treatment does not result in cure, have succeeded in delivering reduced price per patient for all direct acting antiviral Hepatitis C drugs, such as Harvoni (ledipasvir-sofosbuvir). The Department has made no such estimate of the number of patients recommended the drug Harvoni by medical practitioners who have been denied access on the grounds of affordability.

Mental Health Services

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will publish the visits he has undertaken to (a) adult mental health services and (b) children and young people's mental health services since he took office.

Jackie Doyle-Price: Since the Secretary of State took office, he has been on several visits to National Health Service trusts, foundation trusts and other health care organisations across the country, many of which may include aspects of mental health. In addition, he has undertaken specific visits that focused on mental health: firstly, to Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust on 31 October and secondly to Northumberland Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust on 23 July 2018.

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 30 October 2018 to Question 183881 on chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, what steps he is taking to tackle the increase in the number of people diagnosed with that disease.

Steve Brine: Improving care for people with lung disease is a key priority for the National Health Service. The NHS RightCare Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) pathway, is being rolled out nationally through clinical commissioning groups and defines the core components of an optimal service for people with COPD. The pathway provides a set of resources to support local health economies to address variation and improve population health. NHS England is also working with NHS Improvement, Public Health England and the third sector to ensure all components of the COPD pathway including, identification, diagnosis, treatment and management of respiratory conditions are coordinated across the health system.

Prime Minister

Syed Kamall

Anneliese Dodds: To ask the Prime Minister, with reference to the reported comments of Syed Kamall MEP, on 24 October 2018, what representations she has made to her counterpart in the European Parliament on this matter.

Mrs Theresa May: Syed Kamall MEP has apologised for his reported comments

Department for Work and Pensions

Pensions Regulator: Staff

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many staff are (a) employed directly by (b) seconded to and (c) work under contract in the Pensions Regulator.

Guy Opperman: The number of staff directly employed at the Pensions Regulator as of the 30 September is 685; 9 staff are under contract. The figure for those seconded is below 5. Further information on The Pensions Regulator headcount can be found in their Annual Report and Accounts, which can be found via the following Link. http://www.thepensionsregulator.gov.uk/docs/annual-report-and-account-2017-2018

Scotland Act 1998 (Agency Arrangements) (Specification) Order 2018

Ian Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 9 October 2018 to Question 173561, what other agreements have been made under the Scotland Act 1998 (Agency Arrangements) (Specification) Order 2018; and whether the Scottish Government has advised it will ask for further agreements.

Alok Sharma: The Agency Agreement between the Department for Work and Pensions and Scottish Ministers for the continued payment of Carer’s Allowance is the first agreement made under the Scotland Act 1998 (Agency Arrangements) (Specification) Order 2018. The need for further agency arrangements will be considered on a case by case basis and will be subject to UK and Scottish Government agreement. This will be dependent on Scottish Government plans for taking over benefits once executive competence transfers in April 2020.

Universal Credit: Self-employed

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will make an assessment of the effect of the introduction of full service of universal credit on people that are self-employed.

Alok Sharma: The Department for Work and Pensions has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Universal Credit: Self-employed

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will review the effectiveness of the universal credit minimum income floor in supporting self-employed people who experience significant earnings fluctuation.

Alok Sharma: The Department for Work and Pensions has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Universal Credit: Disability

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether her Department has made an estimate of the number of disabled people who previously received a disability premium that have been migrated onto universal credit without transitional protections.

Sarah Newton: The Department for Work and Pensions has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Social Security Benefits: Mental Health

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 26 October 2018 to Question 182841 on Social Security Benefits: Mental Health, what the safeguards are that were referred to in that Answer.

Sarah Newton: All colleagues within DWP are required to understand, comply with and take appropriate action when dealing with individuals who may need additional support to enable them to access DWP Benefits and use our services. Guidance is clearly signposted within Cross Benefit Operational Instructions and is also available to front line operational colleagues through training programmes, Mental Health First Aiders (within ESA product lines) and within Customer Service A-Z instructions that are available to Telephony officers and staff within front line operational processing centres within the Working age Directorate. In addition, where an officer of the DWP is concerned that a customer has declared or may declare an intention to harm or kill themselves, the DWP has a specific action plan in place across the Working Age Directorate that supports the member of staff to understand their role in dealing with such threats.

Social Security Benefits: Mental Health

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 26 October 2018 to Question 182841 on Social Security Benefits: Mental Health, what metrics her Department is using to measure the success of those safeguards.

Sarah Newton: There are specific markers used within DWP Working Age Directorate systems that identify where a customer has declared a mental health condition or requires additional support. The marker information will help to target support where it is most needed, keep all staff informed in transferring information and reduce the need to obtain this information again. These markers are tracked through the customer’s journey to ensure safeguarding procedures are followed, but we do not record and report data on these cases against any measurable success criteria. This is currently being reviewed by the Department.

Jobcentres: Glasgow

Chris Stephens: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether she plans to visit Govan job centre in November 2018; and if she will make a statement.

Alok Sharma: The Secretary of State has been to the Scottish Parliament twice and had quarterly meetings with the Scottish Government. Over the summer the Secretary of State visited 4 Scottish jobcentres, engaging with a variety of Scottish organisations and staff in these offices. There is not a further visit planned to Scotland this November.

Food Banks: Glasgow South West

Chris Stephens: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will visit a food bank in the Glasgow South West constituency in November 2018; and if she will make a statement.

Justin Tomlinson: The Secretary of State has been to the Scottish Parliament twice and had quarterly meetings with the Scottish Government. Over the summer the Secretary of State visited 6 constituencies, engaging with a variety of Scottish organisations and staff in Scottish job centres. There is not a further visit planned to Scotland this November.

Housing Benefit

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of discretionary housing payments in supporting tenants through periods of difficulty.

Justin Tomlinson: The purpose of Discretionary Housing Payments is to provide support with housing costs for those entitled to Housing Benefit or the housing costs element of Universal Credit that are experiencing difficulty in meeting their rental costs. Research with Local Authorities undertaken by the Department has shown that DHPs are awarded to claimants in times of difficulty including a crisis or change of circumstances. Further information on how DHPs are used by Local Authorities can be found in: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/discretionary-housing-payments-temporary-accommodation-and-universal-support-delivered-locally-local-authority-insight-survey-wave-31 https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/local-authority-insight-research-wave-32 https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/use-of-discretionary-housing-payments-financial-year-2017-to-2018

Pensions: Consumer Information

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when she plans to (a) launch and (b) respond to the proposed consultation on the pensions dashboard.

Guy Opperman: As set out in the Autumn Budget, DWP will consult on the detailed design for pensions dashboards, and on how an industry-led approach could harness innovation while protecting consumers. This consultation will be published shortly. The government will then respond.

Personal Independence Payment: Muscular Dystrophy

Vernon Coaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what representations she has received from claimants with muscular dystrophy on their personal independence payment assessment; and if she will make a statement.

Sarah Newton: My officials and I have regular discussions with a range of stakeholders, including those representing individuals with Muscular Dystrophy to discuss benefits such as Personal Independence Payment (PIP). For example, in regards to PIP, we regularly engage with stakeholders and one of the main avenues is through the national PIP Forum events. Muscular Dystrophy UK were invited to the most recent PIP Forum event that was held in Scotland. Muscular Dystrophy UK are an active member of the Disability Benefits Consortium (DBC); who the Department meet with regularly.

Personal Independence Payment

Peter Kyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people have been refused personal independence payments as a result of the past presence rule on residency (a) since 2013 and (b) in the last 12 months.

Sarah Newton: The Department does not hold the data requested.

Employment: Mental Illness

Adam Afriyie: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make an estimate of the change in the employment rate between 2017-18 and 2023-24 for people with (a) schizophrenia, (b) bipolar disorder, (c) depression and (d) mental health conditions as a whole.

Sarah Newton: The information requested in not available. The Department does not produce forecasts of employment for people with specific health conditions.

Members: Correspondence

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when her Department plans to respond to the letter of 26 July 2018 from the rt. hon. Member for Birkenhead to the Minister of State for Disabled People on the Government’s response to the Work and Pensions Committee report on employment support for carers.

Sarah Newton: The response to the Work and Pension Select Committee report on employment support for carers was sent to the rt. ho. Member for Birkenhead on 1st November 2018.

Children: Maintenance

Marion Fellows: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, for each available year, under the Child Maintenance Service, how many claims from a non-resident parent for a recalculation of maintenance as a result of a change in the income of that parent were (a) received; and (b) successful in each of the last three years.

Justin Tomlinson: The number of claims to the Child Maintenance service made by non-resident parents with regards to recalculation of maintenance as a result of a change in their income in the years 2016, 2017 and 2018 are outlined in the table below. The table also includes the proportion of claims that were successful in each year. The proportion of successful claims in each year does not directly relate to the number of claims made in that year, as claims completed in one year could include claims made in the previous year.  -Number of claims with regards to recalculation of maintenance as a result of a paying parent’s change in incomePercentage of successful claims with regards to recalculation of maintenance as a result of a paying parent’s change in income20167350040%20178850033%2018 (YTD)8240030%  NoteYTD: The 2018 figures are year to date figures.

Universal Credit

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to page 146 of the Office for Budget Responsibility's Economic and Fiscal Outlook 2018, published in 29 October 2018, if she will make an assessment of the contribution of (a) the cost of administering universal credit, (b) policy changes affecting the level payable under universal credit and (c) any other factors to universal credit becoming more expensive than the legacy system would have been from 2019-20 to 2022-23.

Alok Sharma: As detailed in Office for Budget Responsibility’s Economic and Fiscal Outlook 2018 (OBR EFO) Universal Credit is now forecast to be more generous to claimants than the legacy benefit system. This is a combination of forecasting changes which are detailed on page 150 of the OBR’s EFO as well as the impacts of the Budget 2018 which can be seen in table 4.28 and on pages 150 to 153. Therefore it is not the cost of administering the system which has caused these changes. In our published Universal Credit Full Business Case Summary we set out that, Universal Credit will be less costly to deliver than the legacy benefit system, and that Universal Credit operational costs break even against legacy operational savings from 2019/20 and are reduced in steady state by over £0.3 billion (circa 30%) on a like for like basis.

Jobcentres: Computers

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what proportion of computers available to claimants in Jobcentre Plus have in-built access to assistive technology.

Alok Sharma: Access to relevant assistive technology through jobcentres is provided in two ways: - Availability through free Wi-Fi for customers to use their own device where they have user specific assistive technology; and- Over 8,000 devices/computers available to customers which have standard assistive functionality available with the user being able to configure keyboard and mouse settings, use a magnifier function, sticky keys, high contrast and an on screen keyboard. The department is undertaking a programme of upgrading the current devices and is exploring opportunities to increase the availability of user specific or individually configured assistive technology.

Universal Credit

Margaret Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to page 78 of the Red Book and page 11 of the policy costings for Budget 2018, what the schedule is for the start and end of (a) the pilot for the managed migration of people claiming legacy claimants to universal credit and (b) the managed migration as a whole.

Alok Sharma: We have carefully considered the plan for migrating claimants to Universal Credit from their existing legacy benefits; reflecting on feedback from stakeholders, we have extended the testing period and moved back the start date to ensure we have the time necessary to get this right. Managed migration will commence in July 2019 during which up to 10,000 claimants will be migrated as part of the testing phase. This gradual and steady approach will allow us to ensure that the process works for everyone. We expect the test phase to run for a year. We will begin to migrate claimants at scale later in 2020, completing the process in December 2023.

Universal Credit

Margaret Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, at what level work allowances are planned to be set at from April 2019 as a result of the change to work allowances announced in Budget 2018 for (a) lone parents (i) with and (ii) without housing costs, (b) couples with children (A) with and (B) without housing costs, (c) single people without children (1) with and (2) without housing costs, (d) couples without children people (i) with and (ii) without housing costs and (e) people with limited capability for work (A) with and (B) without housing costs.

Alok Sharma: Currently, if a single claimant (or either claimant in a couple) has responsibility for a child or qualifying young person, or has limited capability for work, they will receive a work allowance of £198 per month for those with housing costs and £409 per month for those without housing costs. As announced at the Autumn Budget 2018 we will put an extra £1.7bn a year into work allowances, increasing them by £1,000 a year, resulting in 2.4m families keeping substantially more of their earnings before the earnings taper applies. The proposed benefit and pension rates for 2019/20 including the new Universal Credit work allowance rates will be announced to Parliament via a written ministerial statement later this month and will be subject to Parliamentary approval.

Universal Credit: Self-employed

Margaret Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference paragraph 5.38 on page 78 of the Budget 2018 Red Book, what estimate she has made of the effect on the public purse of the delay until April 2020 of the reduction of the level of earnings to be disregarded under the surplus earnings rule from £2,500 to £300.

Alok Sharma: The Department for Work and Pensions has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Universal Credit

Margaret Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate her Department has made of the number of claimants of legacy benefits who will migrate to universal credit without transitional protection.

Alok Sharma: Around 2 million households will be moved onto Universal Credit as part of the managed migration process. 900,000 families will receive transitional protection to ensure their benefit allowance remains the same at the point of transition. The other claimants who are migrated onto Universal Credit as part of managed migration will receive the same or an increased entitlement allowance as they receive on legacy benefits. Transitional protection is dependent on the managed migration regulations receiving parliamentary approval when they come before Parliament this autumn.

Natural Gas: Pipelines

Alex Norris: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions,with reference to the North Sea Forties pipeline shutdown, what steps the Government is taking to ensure that privately owned gas transport infrastructure is adequately inspected and maintained.

Sarah Newton: The safety and integrity of Great Britain’s gas transport infrastructure is governed by the Pipelines Safety Regulations 1996 (PSR) and the Gas Safety (Management) Regulations 1996 (GSMR), made under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. Under these regulations, there is a duty on a pipeline operator to ensure that a pipeline is designed and constructed to appropriate standards and operated, managed and maintained safely. In addition, the Health and Safety Executive develops inspection and intervention plans, based on the risk profile of work activities, and works closely with pipeline operators to ensure the risks from pipelines remain adequately controlled.

Employment: Mental Illness

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what progress her Department has made on implementing the recommendations of the report, Thriving at Work: a review of mental health and employers, published by her Department in October 2017.

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many businesses have adopted the core standards set out in the report, Thriving at Work: a review of mental health and employers, published by her Department in October 2017.

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many large businesses have adopted the enhanced standards set out in the report, Thriving at Work: a review of mental health and employers, published by her Department in October 2017.

Sarah Newton: The Government responded to Thriving at Work: Stevenson/Farmer Review of mental health and employers in the command paper Improving Lives: The Future of Work, Health and Disability which was published on 30th November 2017. The joint DWP and DHSC Work and Health Unit is now overseeing progress across 40 recommendations that range from short term deliverables to longer term reform. We have made significant progress on ensuring the public sector leads the way: the NHS is implementing the mental health standards through the new single NHS Workforce Health and Wellbeing Framework, which was published on 16th May 2018 and shared with NHS organisations, and the Civil Service has benchmarked all main government departments and their agencies/NDPBs against the core and enhanced mental health standards to identify best practice and areas requiring further action. We also held a Public Sector Summit on 18th July 2018 which brought together public sector leaders and experts to share best practice on mental health support and how the review’s recommendations are being implemented and championed. We have also been progressing a range of policy work on which we will report in due course. We have promoted the standards to private sector employers through a range of communication channels and supported Mind in the development of their mental health at work online gateway, but data on numbers of businesses who have adopted the core and enhanced standards is not held centrally. We will continue to work with key stakeholders across the public, private and voluntary sectors to ensure that employers of all sizes act to implement the core and enhanced standards and help them, and their employees, realise the benefits of healthy, inclusive workplaces.

Home Office

Drugs: Misuse

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps the Government is taking to tackle the use of (a) spice, (b) mamba and (c) other illegal drugs.

Mr Nick Hurd: We recognise how dangerous synthetic cannabinoids such as those supplied under the brand names ‘spice’ and ‘mamba’, can be and the devastating impact that they can have on communities, families and the individuals taking them. That is why we acted to control these substances as class B drugs under the Misuse of Drugs Act and give the police the powers they need to take action, including making possession illegal and delivering longer sentences for dealers.More widely, the 2017 Drug Strategy builds on the approach set out in 2010, recognising that while progress has been made, we need to go fur-ther to respond to the evolving threats and challenges that continue to emerge from drug misuse.We are taking firm action to prevent the harms caused by drugs. Our Drug Strategy sets out a balanced approach which brings together police, health, community and global partners to tackle the illicit drug trade, protect the most vulnerable and help those with a drug dependency to recover and turn their lives around.

Asylum: Unemployment

Yasmin Qureshi: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment he has made of the effect on the mental health of asylum seekers of extended periods without employment.

Caroline Nokes: The UK has a proud history of providing protection to those who need it and this Government is committed to delivering a fair and humane asylum system.Whilst the Government has not assessed the effect on the mental health of asylum seekers of extended periods without employment, our current policy is consistent with EU law and permits asylum seekers to work, in jobs on the Shortage Occupation List, if they have been waiting for a decision on their claim for 12 months or more and the delay is through no fault of their own. We are tackling delays in decision-making and have plans in place to improve the speed at which outstanding claims are decided.It is important to focus on providing support for those who are recognised as refugees, to help them to integrate and find employment, so that they can rebuild their lives here.

UK Visas and Immigration: Biometrics

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what risk assessment his Department undertook of the placement of UKVI biometric services in local libraries under the contract with Sopra Steria.

Caroline Nokes: Physical security assessments have been completed by both UK Visa and Immigration and Sopra Steria to assess the risk of placing UKVI biometric services in local libraries under the contract with Sopra Steria.Sopra Steria has carried out detailed due diligence visits in person to each venue to assess the physical environment, security, public access, and suitability for the service. Modifications have been made where required.As libraries already deliver a range of services to the public; they are monitored by the risk and security assessments of the Local Authority.The staff who will be carrying out the biometric data appointments have all been security cleared with recent Disclosure Barring Services and Baseline Personnel Security Standard accreditation.Specialist training has been delivered to staff in the library venues.Home Office Security have approved and granted Authority to Operate in local libraries.

Fires

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 24 October 2018 to Question 180121 on Fires, when his Department plans to publish its lessons learned review of the Fire Service's response to the wildfires of Summer 2018.

Mr Nick Hurd: The Home Office is picking up lessons from the wildfires internally and there is no intention to publish a report. Operational lessons learned work from the wildfires will be conducted by the Fire and Rescue Services and it will be their decision whether to publish this more widely.

Nitrous Oxide: Sales

Darren Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of the legal framework governing the sale of nitrous oxide for the protection of public health and safety.

Victoria Atkins: The Psychoactive Substances Act 2016 (2016 Act) bans the sale, supply, production and distribution of psychoactive substances, such as nitrous oxide, for human consumptionThe Crown Prosecution Service continues to prosecute cases involving nitrous oxide under the 2016 Act successfully. The Government continue to work closely with the CPS, law enforcement and scientific experts to ensure that prosecutions of cases under the 2016 Act are supported by the best available evidence.Since the 2016 Act came into force, over 300 retailers across the United Kingdom have either closed down or are no longer selling psychoactive substances and action by the National Crime Agency has resulted in the removal of psychoactive substances being sold by UK based websites. In 2016, there were 28 convictions in England and Wales and seven people jailed under the new powers. This rose to 152 convictions in 2017 with 62 people immediately sent to custody.

Police

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment he has made of the resource implications for police forces of the force management statements of August 2018.

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent discussions his Department has had with police forces in England and Wales on the force management statements published by those forces.

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to paragraph 4.3.1 of the National Police Chiefs' Council's Chief Constables’ Council Minutes of 12 July 2018, what support his Department is providing to police forces to professionalise demand management.

Mr Nick Hurd: The Home Office works closely with police forces to understand the demands facing them. In 2017, I spoke to every police force in England & Wales about the changing demands on them. The Government responded with a funding settlement that is increasing total investment in the police system by over £460m in 2018/19, including increases in Council Tax precept income.We are doing substantial work with the police to better understand future police demand, what capabilities the police need to respond, and how efficiency and productivity can help improve services to the public. This programme of work includes analysis by policing of the first round of force management statements. We are also working closely with policing colleagues and Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services on the ongoing development of these statements.

Vulnerability Coordination Centre

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many police (a) staff and (b) officers will be employed to establish the Vulnerability Coordination Centre.

Victoria Atkins: The National Police Chiefs’ Council has established the vulnerability knowledge and practice programme (formerly vulnerability coordination centre) to improve police practice in recognition of the critical role of police in protecting vulnerable people. Four staff and two officers are employed on the programme.Ministers have awarded £2.5million from the Police Transformation Fund over two years (2018/19 – 2019/20) to the College of Policing to improve the evaluation of promising practice in policing. This will include assess-ment of vulnerability and serious violence interventions used by forces, and in part involve work with the vulnerability knowledge and practice pro-gramme to evaluate pilots relating to the protection of vulnerable people.

Visas

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 29 October 2018 to Question 183507 on Visas: Tourism, what information his Department holds on the number of visitor visa requests that have been refused in each of the last three years.

Caroline Nokes: Information on the number of visit visa application outcomes (grants, refusals, withdrawn and lapsed cases) is published in the quarterly Immigration Statistics, Visas volume 1 table vi_01_q, latest edition at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/immigration-statistics-year-ending-june-2018/list-of-tables#visas

UK Border Force: Recruitment

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what progress has been made on the proposed increase of eight per cent in Border Force operational staff before 29 March 2018.

Caroline Nokes: Border Force will always ensure it has the necessary resources to keep the border secure and will respond flexibly to emerging requirements through ongoing assessments of operational needs.Border Force has recruited a Readiness Task Force to provide operational resilience to the frontline and allow existing staff to undertake EU exit re-lated training. The c.300 multi-disciplinary Border Force officers will be fully deployed by the end of the year.An additional c.600 Border Force officers are being recruited in 2018/19 to respond to the new requirements it will face as a result of EU Exit and to provide resilience at key locations.

Drugs: Crime

Joan Ryan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether his Department holds information on trends in the number of children below the minimum age of criminal responsibility involved in county lines activity.

Joan Ryan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate his Department has made of the number of children below the minimum age of criminal responsibility who were involved in county lines activity in (a) 2015, (b) 2016 and (c) 2017.

Joan Ryan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate his Department has made of the number of children below the minimum age of criminal responsibility involved in county lines activity who were referred to a pupil referral unit in (a) 2015, (b) 2016 and (c) 2017.

Victoria Atkins: We do not have specific information about children under 10 years of age involved in county lines. However, the Home Office has commissioned regular threat assessments of county lines by the National Crime Agency, which provide the most detailed and reliable intelligence on the scale and nature of county lines.The threat assessments do not contain estimates of the number of children involved due to data limitations but they report that the threat has grown. The NCA is currently preparing a new threat assessment for publication shortly.

Passports

Chris Stephens: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what consultations his Department has conducted on the future of the HMPO collective passports service in the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement.

Caroline Nokes: There has been no formal consultation relating to collective passports in the last 12 months. We continually review all of our services, and engage with relevant stakeholders as appropriateThe collective passport remains available for those who require it.

Counter-terrorism

John Woodcock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people have participated in his Department's Desistance and Disengagement programme during (a) the trial period of that programme and (b) since that programme has been fully rolled out; and how many of those participants in each such period were mandated to take part in that programme.

Mr Ben Wallace: The Desistance and Disengagement Programme (DDP) launched in October 2016. It focusses on those who have served prison sentences for terrorist or terrorist related offences and are due to be released on probation licence; those on Terrorism Prevention Investigation Measures (TPIMs); and those who have returned from conflict zones in Syria or Iraq and are subject to Temporary Exclusion Orders (TEOs).We are committed to publishing data where security requirements allow and will continue to publish an annual report on our counter-terrorism work under CONTEST. We do not provide detailed information about the caseload of DDP activity. The mandating of cases is either an inherent part of the legislation by which the DDP is applied or, where this is not applicable, on a case-by-case basis in order to best manage risk.

Emergency Calls: Hoaxes and False Alarms

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many 999 hoax phone calls have been made in each of the last ten years for which figures are available.

Mr Nick Hurd: The Home Office does not collect this data. Law enforcement, including the handling of 999 calls is an operational matter for the police. It is for elected Police Crime Commissioners and Chief Constables to decide how best to manage their communications and response to the public, and gather the data they need to inform those decisions.

Offences Against Children

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 16 October 2018 to Question 176432 on Offences against Children, whether any funding requests from police forces for investigations into child sexual exploitation have been rejected by the Government in the last three years.

Mr Nick Hurd: No applications for Special Grant funding in respect of investigations into Child Sexual Exploitation have been declined in the last three years.Applications declined are published alongside successful applications on the Gov.uk website https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/police-funding-special-grant-applications

Europol

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the UK can participate in Europol operational projects after the UK leaves the EU without an adequacy agreement for data sharing.

Mr Nick Hurd: The Government has been clear that we want an ambitious future partnership with the EU that covers: mechanisms for rapid and secure data exchange, practical measures to support cross-border operational cooperation, and continued UK cooperation with EU law enforcement and criminal justice agencies.As outlined in our White Paper of July 2018, , the UK is one of the biggest contributors of data, information and expertise to Europol. The White Paper also sets out our continued commitment to global data protection standards and proposes that the future relationship with the EU in this area should be based on adequacy.However, in the event there is no agreement on data sharing at the point of exit there is existing precedent for third country participation in European Multidisciplinary Platform against Criminal Threats (EMPACT) priorities, which are projects to combat jointly prioritised crime threats. Whilst the involvement of non-EU partners should comply with the rules on exchanges of data as set out in the Europol Regulation, there is no requirement for these countries to have an adequacy finding from the European Commission.

Asylum

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the cost was of support to asylum seekers whose case has taken more than 52 weeks to resolve in the 2017-18 financial year.

Caroline Nokes: Asylum Seekers can apply for Home Office support at any time during the asylum process, and eligibility for support continues until an asylum claim is fully determined. However, for those whose claims are rejected, eligibility for support can continue if there are children in the household or if the person is taking reasonable steps to leave the UK or there is a temporary or legal or practical obstacle that prevents their departureInformation on the cost of providing support to those whose claims have taken more than 52 weeks to resolve is not held in a reportable format and would therefore only be available at disproportionate cost.

Members: Correspondence

David Linden: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when he plans to respond to the letter from the hon. Member for Glasgow East of 26 September 2018, reference DL1987.

Caroline Nokes: A reply was sent by the Minister of State for Immigration on 1 November 2018.

Employment: EU Nationals

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what guidance he has issued to employers on how to check the entitlement to work of EU citizens in the event that the UK leaves the EU without a deal.

Caroline Nokes: Employers already need to carry out right to work checks on EU citizens, as they do with all prospective employees to prevent illegal working. The statutory code of practice and published guidance for employers are clear that EU citizens can evidence their right to work by showing a passport or national identity card, and employers should continue to refer to these documents.EU nationals may also use Home Office residence documentation as evidence of their right to work, but they are not currently required to do so. That will not change next March in the event we leave the EU without a deal. We will publish a White Paper on the future immigration system later this year.

Serious Violence Taskforce: Social Media

Joan Ryan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 31 October 2018 to Question 184345 on Serious Violence Taskforce: Social Media, what assessment he has made of the suitability of the content hosted by (a) Kik Messenger, (b) Snapchat, (c) Telegram, (d) Viber, (e) Wickr and (f) Whatsapp on their encrypted messaging apps in relation to county lines activity.

Joan Ryan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 31 October 2018 to Question 184345 on Serious Violence Taskforce: Social Media, how he plans to develop engagement with (a) Kik Messenger, (b) Snapchat, (c) Telegram, (d) Viber, (e) Wickr and (f) WhatsApp in relation to the use of encrypted messaging apps for county lines activity.

Victoria Atkins: We recognise the role online messaging platforms can play in facilitating gang violence and county lines activity and in June this year the Home Secretary announced a new £1.4m police capability to take action against violent content hosted on social media and disrupt gang activity online.Our Serious Violence Strategy also sets out the role of social media in driving serious violence and we are working with a range of social media companies, the police and partners to consider what actions to take in tackling online violent content and will broaden our engagement with online platforms and companies if needed as our understanding of the issue grows.

Northern Ireland Office

Local Government: Northern Ireland

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what the timetable is for each of the city deal projects based in Northern Ireland to become operational.

Mr Shailesh Vara: City Deals are long-term financial commitments to a programme of capital investment that will drive economic growth and productivity in line with the key priorities of City Regions. The Chancellor has announced that the Belfast City Region will receive £350m of UK funding to support the development of the digital and innovation sector. The next steps for Belfast City Region, the UK Government, and the NICS, include a period of work drafting the full business cases which will act as a basis on which to deliver the Belfast City Deal. Regarding Derry/Londonderry and Strabane, the Chancellor has reaffirmed our commitment to commencing negotiations on this City Deal and we are looking forward to doing so.

Historical Institutional Abuse Inquiry

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, in the continued absence of a functioning Northern Ireland Government, if she will meet with the Permanent Secretaries of the Northern Ireland Executive to discuss the implementation of the recommendations of the Hart Report of 20 January 2017 on compensation for victims and survivors of historical institutional abuse in Northern Ireland.

Mr Shailesh Vara: The Hart report was commissioned by the NI Executive, and the method of response to the recommendations should be for a restored devolved Government to decide. The Head of the Northern Ireland Civil Service has made a commitment to have legislation to implement the recommendations of the Hart report ready to publish soon. I am assured that he will take what action he feels appropriate at this stage to keep the process moving forward so that a restored Executive may be able to action this work swiftly.

Waste Disposal: Northern Ireland

Stella Creasy: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, whether the Arc21 Residual Waste Infrastructure Procurement project will be financed as a PF2 project.

Mr Shailesh Vara: The Arc21 Residual Waste Infrastructure project, including issues relating to procurement and financing, is a matter for the Northern Ireland Department for Infrastructure.

Terrorism: Northern Ireland

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, with reference to the consultation on addressing the legacy of Northern Ireland’s past, which closed on 5 October 2018, when her Department plans to publish the results of that consultation.

Mr Shailesh Vara: The Government’s consultation ‘Addressing the Legacy of Northern Ireland’s Past’ has received over 17,000 responses. I am encouraged to see so much interest in the consultation and it is right that we now take the time to consider responses fully. The Northern Ireland Office is carefully considering all the views received and will set out in due course how we intend to move forward. We will be taking all views into account to help us to build support and confidence from across the community for a better way to address the past for all those affected by the Troubles.

Northern Ireland Assembly: Members

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how much has been paid in salaries to Members of the Legislative Assembly since its collapse in January 2017; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Shailesh Vara: The budget for the payment of salaries to MLAs is held by the Assembly Commission which is the corporate body of the NI Assembly.I would advise the honourable Lady write to the Assembly Commission to inquire on the figure for MLA salaries paid.

Treasury

Credit: Interest Rates

Mrs Madeleine Moon: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he is taking to ensure that the Financial Conduct Authority has the necessary resources to enforce its rules on pay day lenders carrying out affordability checks on potential customers.

John Glen: The Government has fundamentally reformed regulation of the consumer credit market, transferring regulatory responsibility to the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) on 1 April 2014. The legislative framework provides for the FCA to be operationally independent from Government. The FCA is funded via a levy on financial services firms, which is set by the FCA to cover its funding requirement each year following consultation. As such, resourcing decisions are a matter for the FCA.

Tree Planting: Finance

Rebecca Long Bailey: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to line 40, urban tree planting, of Table 2.1 and paragraph 4.71 of the Budget 2018, how the Government will fund the additional £50 million of carbon credits for qualifying tree planting under the Woodland Carbon Guarantee scheme.

Robert Jenrick: The government’s Woodland Carbon Guarantee will deliver tree planting to help offset carbon emissions and support wildlife. The government is providing up to £50 million of guaranteed future payments over the next thirty years to those who plant qualifying woodland, to purchase carbon credits as trees grow and sequester carbon. Those carbon credits could then be sold, reducing the overall cost to taxpayers. The government will meet this guarantee at future spending reviews. Line 40 (urban tree planting) is a different measure, providing government funding to plant valued trees in and around our towns and cities.

NHS: Pensions

Stephanie Peacock: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference paragraph 1.40 and Table 2.1 line 1 of the Budget 2018, how much has been allocated to the NHS in each of the next five fiscal years to provide for the adjustment in NHS pension costs as a result of the SCAPE rate change.

Elizabeth Truss: As part of the five-year settlement for the NHS in June, the Government committed to provide additional funding of £1.25billion per year for NHS pension costs until 2023-24, and committed to adjust the level of additional funding to reflect the final SCAPE rate change. Following the confirmation of the SCAPE rate reduction to 2.4% at Budget, we will make the necessary adjustment as part of finalising the NHS settlement by the Spending Review. Provision for the adjustment in 2019/20 was made through the £4.7billion in DEL allocated to the reserve to help all departments with pressures in 2019-20 relating to the SCAPE rate changes. Provision for remaining years will be made by the Spending Review.

A303 and Lower Thames Crossing: Private Finance Initiative

Stella Creasy: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether the funding allocated to the upgrade of the A303 and the Lower Thames Crossing will include private finance.

Elizabeth Truss: The Budget announced that government will no longer use Private Finance 2 (the successor to the Private Finance Initiative) for new projects. The upgrade of the A303 and the Lower Thames Crossing will therefore not use Private Finance 2.

Glen Parva Prison: Private Finance Initiative

Stella Creasy: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what funding his Department plans to allocate to the construction of Glen Parva Prison as a result of the abolition of  PF2 projects.

Elizabeth Truss: In the Budget 2018 it was announced that we intend to build the prison at Glen Parva through public capital. All costs associated with the redevelopment will be subject to planning approvals, value for money and affordability tests. While we cannot comment at this stage on the anticipated cost, the newest prison in the estate, HMP Berwyn in North Wales, cost £220 million when it was built in 2015-16.

Defence: Finance

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to line 7 of Table 2.1, page 36 of the Budget 2018, how much of the allocated spend for defence in (a) 2018-19 and (b) 2019-20 will come from the Dreadnought contingency.

Elizabeth Truss: The £1bn for Defence announced at Budget 18, and set out in table 2.1, is additional funding for MoD to ensure that the Armed Forces can continue to modernise and invest in key priority capabilities. It is for MoD to decide how much of this funding is for Dreadnought, which they will do as part of their normal budgeting process.

Revenue and Customs: Disability

Chris Law: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many accessible car parking spaces are available in the Canary Wharf Government Hub for disabled staff of HM Revenue & Customs.

Mel Stride: There are four accessible visitor car parking spaces for blue badge holders at the Canary Wharf Government Hub. These are available to all departments occupying the building, including HMRC. In addition there is an accessible drop off point outside the entrance and accessible public car parking nearby. HMRC is reviewing its car parking policy for all sites and this will prioritise accessible parking for staff and visitors. It expects to increase availability in 10 South Colonnade, Canary Wharf, within the limited number of spaces available under the building. HMRC is committed to ensuring that its new hubs will be accessible to all staff. It will review individual cases where reasonable adjustments are required, explore options such as Access to Work and may fund the cost of a taxi or an accessible parking space where this is necessary.

Revenue and Customs: Visual Impairment

Chris Law: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to page 103 of the HMRC Annual Report and Accounts 2017-18, what steps HMRC has taken to  to ensure that visually impaired staff that have been issued with Microsoft Surface Pros are able to use accessibility software including Zoomtext.

Mel Stride: HMRC currently provides a range of assistive technologies to support visually impaired members of staff, including an upgraded version of Zoomtext compatible with Surface Pros. The Department will continue to work with both key suppliers and staff to improve and expand its suite of accessibility software, as part of its commitment to being a leading employer for equality, diversity and inclusion.

Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to his oral contribution of 29 October 2018, Official Report, column 658, whether the donation of £10 million to the Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust will be in addition to the £10 million per annum in perpetuity committed by the Government in 2014 to support the Covenant.

Elizabeth Truss: Pursuant to the Chancellor of the Exchequer’s oral contribution of 29 October 2018, Official Report, column 658, the donation of £10 million to the Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust is in addition to the £10 million per annum in perpetuity committed by the Government in 2014 to support the Covenant.

Debts

Jo Stevens: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment his Department has made of trends in the level of personal debt over the last five years.

John Glen: The household debt-to-income ratio has stabilised over the past year and was 140% in Q2 2018, down from a high of 160% in Q1 2008. Almost three quarters of household debt is secured against housing. Unsecured debt as a share of household income is now 35% (Q2 2018), down from its peak of 41% before the financial crisis (Q1 2007). Although the level of consumer credit remains high, when adjusted for inflation, the level of outstanding consumer credit stands 17.7% below its January 2008 peak. The Budget 2018 announced new policies to help households manage unexpected costs by increasing access to fair and affordable credit, as well as a consultation on a breathing space scheme for people who fall into problem debt.

UK Trade with EU: Borders

Helen Hayes: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the National Audit Office report entitled The UK border: preparedness for EU exit, published on 24 October 2018, what support the Government plans to provide to the estimated up to 250,000 traders who will be required to make border declarations for the first time after the UK leaves the EU.

Mel Stride: HMRC has published Technical Notices covering Customs, Excise and VAT procedures that would apply if no deal is reached and has written to 145,000 traders over the VAT threshold who currently only trade with the EU on no deal arrangements. A Partnership Pack has also been published on GOV.UK, which is designed for business representative groups to support businesses with what they would need to do under a no deal scenario.The Government has engaged extensively with key providers of customs broker services to better understand their potential capacity challenges and has announced a package of measures to support the sector to grow, including an investment of £8 million to support broker training and increased automation. Later in the year we intend to provide more information on what people can do should they wish to make preparations for no deal and when they should do this.

Borders: ICT

Helen Hayes: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the National Audit Office report entitled The UK border: preparedness for EU exit, published on 24 October 2018, what assessment he has made of the implications for his Department's policies of the finding in that report that 11 out of 12 new or replacement border systems were at risk of not being delivered on time and to acceptable quality by 29 March 2018.

Mel Stride: All 12 critical IT systems set out in the National Audit Office report undergo significant scrutiny across government – including at a departmental level, by the Infrastructure and Projects Authority and by the Borders Delivery Group. Where programme risks exist, appropriate mitigation and contingency plans are in place. There is also significant cross-departmental working to ensure that the interdependencies between border systems and wider departmental policy is effectively managed.

UK Trade with EU: Borders

Helen Hayes: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what progress his Department has made on developing the necessary (a) border infrastructure and (b) alternative customs systems needed in the case of the UK leaving the EU without a deal.

Mel Stride: HMRC has well-developed plans to ensure that on day one of a no deal scenario there will be a functioning customs, VAT and excise system. HMRC is already having extensive engagement with ports, airports and rail terminals on what would need to be in place at March 2019 and in the longer term. We are currently developing specific requirements around the physical infrastructure needed in each of the exit scenarios. In a no deal scenario, HMRC’s plans will allow for the border to operate without new infrastructure on day 1, and it is not placing new requirements on ports and airports to have infrastructure in place by day 1.

M4: Wales

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what representations he has received from the Welsh Government on increasing borrowing capacity to fund the M4 relief road.

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will publish all communications between his Department and the Welsh Government on increasing borrowing capacity to fund the M4 relief road.

Elizabeth Truss: The Welsh Government Cabinet Secretary for Finance recently wrote to me setting out his intention to see an increase in the Welsh Government’s borrowing limits at the Spending Review to deliver investment priorities in Wales, including the M4 project. At Budget, we announced that the government will support the delivery of a new M4 relief road through a review of the Welsh Government’s capital borrowing powers at the Spending Review, to consider whether the borrowing cap should be increased by up to £300 million to support this vital project.

Children: Day Care

Tracy Brabin: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many tax-free childcare accounts have (a) been created and (b) had at least one payment made from that account to date.

Tracy Brabin: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many parents have closed a tax-free childcare account since that policy was introduced.

Elizabeth Truss: To date more than 391,000 parents have opened a Tax–Free Childcare account and over 109,000 parents have used their account to make a payment to a childcare provider. Around 313,000 of the parents who have opened a Tax-Free Childcare account applied at the same time as for 30 hours free childcare. 30 hours free childcare saves parents using the full 30 hours up to £5,000 per child per year. Tax-Free Childcare account usage is substantially higher amongst parents who get Tax-Free Childcare only, compared to parents who have both a Tax-Free Childcare and 30 hours free childcare account. 8,265 Tax-Free Childcare accounts have been closed since the scheme launched in April 2017.

Public Finance

Chris Ruane: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 29 October to Question 183422 on Public Finance and with reference to his financial statement of 29 October 2018, if he will provide a formal definition of the word austerity; and by what methodology his Department measures austerity in public policy.

Elizabeth Truss: The Budget showed how the hard work of the British people is paying off. Our balanced approach means that our public finances have reached a turning point and austerity is coming to an end. We are providing more support for our vital public services like the NHS, cutting income tax for 32 million people and investing for the long term to boost growth and deliver higher living standards, while remaining committed to fiscal discipline.

Revenue and Customs: Cumbernauld

Stuart C. McDonald: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 25 October 2018 to Question 182250 on Revenue and Customs: Cumbernauld, what the (a) maximum and (b) minimum duration of any such extension to lease on the HMRC office in Cumbernauld is under the terms of that lease.

Mel Stride: Under the terms of HMRC’s Private Finance Initiative contract, the Department has the flexibility to extend the lease on Cumbernauld, Accounts Office, beyond April 2021 for any period which suits its plans up to a maximum of 20 years. In line with its location strategy, HMRC plans to seek an extension to the lease to allow it to remain in the property until the Glasgow Regional centre opens.

G7

Chris Ruane: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the factors effecting the UK's position in the G7 growth table.

John Glen: Since 2010, our economy has grown for 8 consecutive years and we’ve seen faster growth than France, Italy and Japan over this period. As a result, the UK economy is currently 17.1% larger than it was in 2010, and 10.8% larger than its pre-crisis peak. The fundamentals of our economy are strong and the independent Office for Budget Responsibility revised up its forecast for cumulative GDP growth at Autumn Budget 2018.

Crown Lands and Estates

Vernon Coaker: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent discussions he has had with the Crown Estate on responsibility for (a) land and (b) property held in escheat; and if he will make a statement.

Robert Jenrick: I met the Crown Estate early this year and escheat land was one of several topics discussed.

Revenue and Customs: Brexit

Jo Stevens: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent assessment his Department has made HMRC's readiness for the UK to leave the EU without a Withdrawal Agreement.

Mel Stride: HM Treasury, alongside the Department for Exiting the European Union (DExEU) and Cabinet Office, is continually assessing the readiness of all Departments (including HMRC) to leave the EU with or without a Withdrawal Agreement.

Tax Avoidance

Grant Shapps: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the effect on people affected by the 2019 Loan Charge.

Grant Shapps: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make an estimate of the number of locum (a) doctors and (b) nurses are affected by the 2019 Loan Charge.

Mel Stride: Disguised Remuneration (DR) loan schemes are contrived arrangements that pay loans in place of ordinary remuneration to avoid income tax and National Insurance contributions. The Government estimates that up to 50,000 individuals will be affected by the 2019 loan charge. The loan charge applies to all users of DR tax avoidance schemes. It does not single out a specific group or industry, such as contractors or doctors. HMRC data indicates that fewer than 3% of those affected work in medical services (doctors and nurses) or teaching. If scheme users repay the loan or agree a settlement for the tax that they owe with HMRC, they will not face the charge. The latest tax information and impact note (TIIN) can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/disguised-remuneration-further-update/disguised-remuneration-further-update.Further information can be found in the Government’s issue briefing at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/hmrc-issue-briefing-disguised-remuneration-charge-on-loans/hmrc-issue-briefing-disguised-remuneration-charge-on-loans

Diesel Vehicles: Excise Duties

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions he has had with representatives of automotive companies on the effect of the rise in diesel tax rates introduced in April 2018 on (a) automotive sales and (b) the sustainability of the automotive industry.

Robert Jenrick: HM Treasury holds policy responsibility for all taxation, including diesel taxes.Ministers and officials hold regular discussions with the automotive sector on a range of issues, including the temporary supplement applied to new diesel vehicles from April 2018. The government has a long-standing partnership with the sector to ensure that the UK builds on its record of global competitiveness and remains a world leading centre for new manufacturing technologies.

Landlords: Taxation

John Healey: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent estimate he has made of the tax gap between tax owed and tax paid by private landlords.

Mel Stride: The information requested is not available as HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) does not make a separate estimate of the proportion of the total tax gap attributable to private landlords. However, HMRC does estimate the tax gap arising from individuals in employment who have not declared and therefore not paid tax on lettings income. The latest estimate of this tax gap was £600 million for the tax year 2016-17. HMRC publishes the 2014-15 estimate of this tax gap in Table H.5, and describes the methodology used to project this forward to 2016-17 in paragraphs H61 to H73, in ‘Measuring tax gaps 2018 edition: methodological annex’ available at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/measuring-tax-gaps. The Government has made excellent progress to lower the overall tax gap, which remains at its lowest level for five years at 5.7% for 2016-17.

Regeneration: Glasgow

Mr Paul Sweeney: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to his oral contribution of 29 October 2018, Official Report column 665, whether Glasgow qualifies for similar new support as a result of the two large fires that disrupted economic activity in that city centre.

Elizabeth Truss: The government committed £10m to the restoration of the Glasgow School of Art following the 2014 fire. The government also continues to invest in Glasgow, including through the Glasgow City Deal, announced in July 2014, which committed the government to invest £500m in the city region.

Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to his oral contribution of 29 October 2018, Official Report, column 658, whether the donation of £10 million to the Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust raises the Government commitment in perpetuity to £20 million per annum in support of the Covenant.

Elizabeth Truss: Pursuant to the Chancellor of the Exchequer’s oral contribution of 29 October 2018, Official Report, column 658, the £10 million to the Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust announced at Budget 2018 is a one-off donation in 2018/19, but can be spent by the Trust over multiple years. This is in addition to the £10 million per annum in perpetuity committed by the Government in 2014 to support the Covenant.

Visual Impairment: Tax Allowances

Frank Field: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the blind person's allowance, what the criteria for for people register with (a) central government and (b) local authorities as severely sight-impaired.

Mel Stride: The Blind Persons Allowance (BPA) for the 2018/19 tax year is £2,390 for all eligible individuals. The eligibility criteria for BPA varies across the UK. In England and Wales the individual must be registered by a local authority as severely sight-impaired. For those in Scotland or Northern Ireland the individual must be unable to do any work for which eyesight is essential.

Students: Loans

Angela Rayner: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to table A.1 on page 231 of the Office for Budget Responsibility's Economic and fiscal outlook: October 2018 publication, what estimate he has made of the loss to the public purse of revenue arising from the sale of student loans in each year of the forecast period.

Elizabeth Truss: The programme of sales of pre-2012 income-contingent student loans is intended to raise £15bn in total by 2022/23, reducing Public Sector Net Debt. Each sale is subject to market conditions and a value for money test, which takes into account foregone repayments and assesses whether the government is better off holding or selling the assets when taking account of the time value of money, the effect of inflation, the riskiness of the asset and the opportunity cost of having money tied up in that asset. The government does not publish a year-by-year estimate of the sales programme, as the timing and size of sales remain flexible in order to maximise value for money. The National Audit Office reviewed the first sale and concluded that the government achieved value for money.

Income Tax: Tax Allowances

Ian Murray: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the figures in the table entitled Exchequer Impact (£m) on page 5 of his Department's document, Budget 2018: policy costings, published on 29 October 2018, if he will publish a separate figure for the Exchequer impact of the increase in the personal allowance to £12,500 for each of those financial years.

Stephanie Peacock: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to table 2.1 of Budget 2018, what estimate he has made of the cost of the public purse of (a) increasing the personal allowance to £12,500 and (b) increasing the higher rate threshold to £50,000, in each year of the forecast period.

Ian Murray: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the figures in the table entitled Exchequer Impact (£m) on page 5 of his Department's document, Budget 2018: policy costings, published on 29 October 2018, if he will publish a separate figure for the Exchequer effect of the increase in the higher rate threshold to £50,000 for each of those financial years.

Mel Stride: A breakdown for the Exchequer impact of the changes to the Income Tax Personal Allowance (PA) and Higher Rate Threshold (HRT) announced at the Budget 2018 on 29 October 2018 is provided in Table 1. Table 1: Exchequer Impact of Budget 2018 announcement– “Personal Allowance and Higher Rate Threshold: increase to £12,500 and £50,000 for 2019-20 and 2020-21”, and Exchequer Impacts of the Personal Allowance and Higher Rate Threshold Elements. Budget 2018 announcement (£ million)2018-192019-202020-212021-222022-232023-24Personal Allowance and Higher Rate Threshold: increase to £12,500 and £50,000 for 2019-20 and 2020-210-2,790-1,935-1,445-1,605-1,780of which  (i) Personal Allowance: increase to £12,500 for 2019-20 and 2020-21*0-1,980-885-600-650-725(ii) Higher Rate Threshold: increase to £50,000 for 2019-20 and 2020-21 (given (i))**0-810-1,050-845-955-1,055 * This line assumes no change to the Basic Rate Limit (BRL). ** This line reflects the impact of increasing the HRT to £50,000, assuming the PA has been increased to £12,500.The Exchequer impact above includes the impact from the Upper Earnings Limit and Upper Profits Limit for National Insurance being aligned with the Income Tax Higher Rate Threshold. Further information on the Exchequer impact from the “Personal Allowance and Higher Rate Threshold: increase to £12,500 and £50,000 in 2019-20 and 2020-21” measure can be found in “Budget 2018: policy costings”.Totals may not sum due to rounding.

Universal Credit

Margaret Greenwood: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to line 15 of table 2.1 on page 36 of the Budget 2018 Red Book, for what reasons he estimates that the revised implementation schedule for universal credit will result in increased revenue for the Exchequer between 2020-21 and 2023-24.

Elizabeth Truss: The explanation for the costing associated with the revised Universal Credit implementation schedule is set out on page 11 of the Budget 2018 Policy Costings document.

Universal Credit

Stephen Timms: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to row 15 of table 2.1 of Budget 2018, what methodology his Department used to calculate the cost savings arising from the revised implementation schedule for universal credit; and if he will make a statement.

Elizabeth Truss: The methodology underlying the costing of the revised Universal Credit implementation schedule is set out on page 11 of the Budget 2018 Policy Costings document.

Research and Development Expenditure Credit

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 22 October 2018 to Question 182193 on Research and Development Expenditure Credit, how the performance of the Research and Development Allowance is assessed; why the data on the amount of relief claimed cannot be identified; and if there are any plans to improve the technical specification of the system for capturing data on that allowance.

Mel Stride: Research and Development Allowances (RDAs) often become indistinguishable in businesses’ tax returns when claims are made that include different types of tax relief. For example, when using the Annual Investment Allowance rather than the more specific RDA, unless claiming for buildings-related costs. This makes it very difficult to disaggregate claims by relief type, particularly where businesses claim non-RDAs for research and development costs. The government keeps all taxes under review, including by continued engagement with stakeholders. As with other matters, HMRC examines tax returns on a risk-led basis in order to understand the basis on which claims are made. Further to this, HMRC encourages the use of more detailed online reporting and toolkits for tax advisers. These help save both businesses and HMRC time and money, as well as providing richer datasets for future policy evaluation and its future development.

Public Sector Exit Payments (Limitation) Bill

Sir Christopher Chope: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 31 October 2018 to Question 184368 on Public Sector Exit Payments, whether the affirmative regulations referred to are the same as the necessary regulations which were reported in the Answer of 6 July 2017 to Question 1447 on Public Sector: Redundancy Pay, as being currently in the process of drafting; and whether the regulations have now been drafted.

Elizabeth Truss: The Government will be consulting on the set of affirmative regulations referred to both answers. These regulations are in the process of being drafted, and will be published for consultation in due course.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

Broadband: Advertising

Ben Lake: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to the sub-section of his Department's Digital Strategy on better regulation, published on 1 March 2017, what progress his Department has made on ensuring that advertising for broadband accurately describes the technology it uses.

Ben Lake: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of introducing a traffic light system in broadband advertising to present clear and accurate information on what material is used at each stage of connection.

Ben Lake: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 10 September 2018 to Question 167873 on broadband: advertising, what assessment he has made of whether customers receive clear, concise and accurate information in order to make an informed choice about full-fibre broadband.

Margot James: The 2017 Digital Strategy set out that Government would work with regulators and industry to ensure that the advertising of broadband reflects the speeds that consumers can expect to receive and accurately describes the technology used. Since the Digital Strategy was published, the ASA has implemented new guidance, which states that speed claims should be based on the download speeds available to at least 50% of customers at peak time, and no longer on 'up to' speeds available to at least 10% of customers. Ofcom has also updated its Code of Practice on Broadband Speeds. As set out in the Answer of 10 September 2018 to Question 167873, the ASA reviewed the use of the term ‘fibre’ to describe part-fibre and full-fibre broadband and concluded in November 2017 that the term 'fibre' is unlikely to mislead consumers as currently used in the advertising of part-fibre broadband services. In June, the Administrative Court granted CityFibre permission to proceed with its Judicial Review of the ASA's decision. The Government remains committed to working with regulators and industry to ensure that consumers receive clear, concise and accurate information in order to make informed choices about their broadband, particularly as the rollout of new technologies like full fibre broadband increases. As part of this, we will monitor developments in other countries, including Italy’s current trial of a traffic light system for broadband advertising.

BBC: Contracts

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, if he will hold discussions with the National Audit Office on the potential merits on that Office undertaking a review of commissioning contracts within the BBC that are of a value of less than £1million.

Margot James: An error has been identified in the written answer given on 01 November 2018.The correct answer should have been:

The Electronic Communications Code (ECC) was recently reformed as part of the Digital Economy Act 2017. These reforms were intended to reduce the cost of providing communications infrastructure and make it easier for operators to deploy such infrastructure. The new Code came into force on 28 December 2017. The Regulatory Impact Assessment published by Government estimated that the ECC reforms could lead to a reduction in average market rents (as compared to rates agreed before reforms to the ECC). However, the eventual impact is difficult to predict during this period of transition in which operators and site providers adapt to the new legislation. During this period, where the market is adjusting and settling, good working relationships between site providers and code operators are critical, and we encourage all parties to continue their efforts to reach mutually acceptable agreements. A joint statement released in August reaffirmed the commitment made by DCMS, industry, CLA and RICS to work collaboratively to implement the ECC. My Department will continue to work with stakeholders, including representatives from industry, landowners, representative bodies and Ofcom, to inform the implementation of the new Code. We will monitor developments carefully and, as outlined in the Future Telecoms Infrastructure Review, (https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/732496/Future_Telecoms_Infrastructure_Review.pdf) will consider a formal review of the impact of the ECC reforms.The Comptroller and Auditor General is the BBC's independent auditor with powers to conduct value for money studies related to the economy, efficiency and effectiveness of the BBC. Decisions in relation to reviewing BBC activity are therefore a matter for the National Audit Office, not government.

Margot James: The Electronic Communications Code (ECC) was recently reformed as part of the Digital Economy Act 2017. These reforms were intended to reduce the cost of providing communications infrastructure and make it easier for operators to deploy such infrastructure. The new Code came into force on 28 December 2017. The Regulatory Impact Assessment published by Government estimated that the ECC reforms could lead to a reduction in average market rents (as compared to rates agreed before reforms to the ECC). However, the eventual impact is difficult to predict during this period of transition in which operators and site providers adapt to the new legislation. During this period, where the market is adjusting and settling, good working relationships between site providers and code operators are critical, and we encourage all parties to continue their efforts to reach mutually acceptable agreements. A joint statement released in August reaffirmed the commitment made by DCMS, industry, CLA and RICS to work collaboratively to implement the ECC. My Department will continue to work with stakeholders, including representatives from industry, landowners, representative bodies and Ofcom, to inform the implementation of the new Code. We will monitor developments carefully and, as outlined in the Future Telecoms Infrastructure Review, (https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/732496/Future_Telecoms_Infrastructure_Review.pdf) will consider a formal review of the impact of the ECC reforms.The Comptroller and Auditor General is the BBC's independent auditor with powers to conduct value for money studies related to the economy, efficiency and effectiveness of the BBC. Decisions in relation to reviewing BBC activity are therefore a matter for the National Audit Office, not government.

Music: Coventry

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions he has had with the (a) Chancellor of the Exchequer and (b) Coventry City Council on the future funding for free music festivals in Coventry; and if he will make a statement.

Margot James: We announced, in December last year, that Coventry would be the UK City of Culture 2021. To support this the government will invest £8.5 million in Coventry’s plans to showcase the city which will include a wide range of arts and cultural events.

UK City of Culture: Kingston upon Hull

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, how much funding his Department allocated to Hull to prepare for its status as 2017 City of Culture; and if he will make a statement.

Michael Ellis: Between February 2015 and the Spring Budget 2016, £15m of Government funding was allocated by Her Majesty’s Treasury for projects relating to Hull hosting UK City of Culture 2017, and investing in the city’s cultural economy for the future.

Television: Disability Aids

Marion Fellows: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, if his Department will bring forward legislative proposals to require TV broadcasters to provide Audio Description Access.

Margot James: The Communications Act 2003 already requires broadcasters to ensure that they provide access services on linear TV. These are audio description, subtitling, and sign language services. Ofcom are responsible for administering the Code on Television Access Services which sets out what proportion of programming must have access services. The Digital Economy Act 2017 made provision for regulations to ensure that there are also access services for video on demand players. Ofcom consulted on these proposals this summer and are due to submit their report to the Secretary of State shortly.

Television: Disability Aids

Marion Fellows: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment he has made of the effect on the capacity of broadcasters to meet their access service obligations of their being permitted to spend only a maximum of one per cent of their turnover on doing so.

Margot James: The capacity of broadcasters to meet their access service obligations is for Ofcom to assess. Ofcom’s Code requires broadcasters to achieve the highest level of provision that they can afford. Broadcasters are free to over deliver on access services, and Ofcom research shows that many do. The BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and Sky voluntarily commit to providing at least 20% of their programming with audio description, which is double their statutory obligation.

Festival of Britain: Finance

Hannah Bardell: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether his Department is lead department on the Festival of Britain funding.

Michael Ellis: DCMS is the lead delivery department for the festival, and will work closely with other government departments. Further funding arrangements will be detailed in due course.

Festival of Britain: Finance

Hannah Bardell: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, how money allocated to the Festival of Britain is planned to be distributed; and whether those funds will be distributed to agencies throughout the UK.

Michael Ellis: The allocation of funding and delivery model for the festival will be confirmed in due course.

Business: Data Protection

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what estimate his Department has made on the potential economic cost to businesses who transfer data across borders in Europe in the event of the UK Government not reaching an adequacy decision with the EU before 29 March 2019.

Margot James: EU exports to the UK of data reliant services were worth approximately £32bn (€36bn) in 2016. This includes a diverse range of sectors such as finance, telecoms and entertainment, which benefit from the free flow of data between the UK and EU. In the event of the UK reaching a final Withdrawal Agreement with the EU, data flows between the UK and the EU would continue as they do presently until the end of the Implementation Period, with no additional restrictions or requirements. The UK will continue to make the case for the European Commission to begin and finalise an adequacy assessment as soon as possible, to provide the earliest possible reassurance that data flows can continue after the Implementation Period. If the UK leaves the EU in March 2019 with no agreement in place regarding future arrangements for data protection, the UK would at the point of exit continue to allow the free flow of personal data from the UK to the EU. However, in the absence of an adequacy decisions organisations would have to rely on alternative transfer mechanisms to transfer personal data from the EU to the UK. More detail can be found in the government’s technical notice on data protection.

Business: Data Protection

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what estimate his Department has made of the number of UK businesses that engage in data transfers with nations within the EU.

Margot James: The number of UK businesses that engage in data transfers with EU Member States cannot be quantified directly. However, it is in everyone’s interests that the exchange of data between EU Member States and the UK continues and is unrestricted. Data flows envelop all trade in goods and services as well as other business and personal relations. They are a key driver of global trade and the life-blood of our digital economy. The government’s recent White Paper (available on gov.uk) sets out an ambitious future relationship with the EU on data protection. It details an agreement that builds on standard EU adequacy arrangements to provide ongoing regulatory cooperation and joined up enforcement action between UK and EU data protection authorities, as well as a clear, transparent framework to facilitate dialogue and minimise the risk of disruption to flows of personal data.

Data Protection: EU Law

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what estimate his Department has made of the potential timeframe for the UK to reach a data adequacy agreement with the EU after the UK leaves the EU.

Margot James: As provided for in the General Data Protection Regulation and Law Enforcement Directive, the European Commission can adopt adequacy decisions in respect of the UK to allow the continued free flow of personal data from the EU to the UK after the UK leaves the EU. The Commission has not yet indicated a timetable for this, but the UK has made it clear we are ready to begin discussions on an adequacy assessment now. The UK’s Data Protection Act 2018 strengthened UK standards in line with the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation and the Law Enforcement Directive, providing a unique starting point for an extensive agreement on the exchange of personal data that builds on the existing adequacy framework.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Solar Power: Feed-in Tariffs

Mr Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether he plans to introduce an export tariff for rooftop solar installations after March 2019.

Claire Perry: We are considering responses to the recent Consultation proposing to close the Feed-in Tariffs (FIT) scheme, and the Call for Evidence on small-scale low-carbon generation. The Government will set out its response in due course.

Tidal Power: Cardiff Bay

Ruth George: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what the scientific reasons are for not continuing the Cardiff Bay Tidal Power scheme.

Claire Perry: In his statement on Monday 25th June 2015, my rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy informed Parliament that a value for money assessment if the proposed Swansea Bay Tidal Lagoon and the subsequent programme of lagoons (including the proposed Cardiff Bay lagoon) did not represent value for money for the tax payer and consumer. The summary value for money statement can be read at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/swansea-bay-tidal-lagoon-value-for-money-assessment.

Electricity: Northern Ireland and Republic of Ireland

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what discussions has he had with his counterpart in the Republic of Ireland on the shared electricity network between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland after the UK leaves the EU.

Claire Perry: The Government is committed to facilitating the continuation of the Single Electricity Market (SEM) between Northern Ireland and Ireland, and is keen to work with the Irish Government and the EU to ensure that the SEM is maintained in any future scenario.The Department has a strong relationship with counterparts in Ireland and officials hold regular discussions on both EU exit and other issues of common interest. For example, the Permanent Secretary visited Ireland on 26 October and met with his counterpart at the Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment.

Energy: Meters

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department is taking to encourage people to install a smart meter in their home.

Claire Perry: The Government established a regulatory framework requiring industry to establish an independent organisation (Smart Energy GB) to undertake consumer engagement. Smart Energy GB is responsible for the national public engagement campaign for the roll-out of smart meters in Great Britain, including advertising campaigns on TV, print, online and radio. They have made progress in ensuring that households across Great Britain understand the benefits of smart meters and have generated significant levels of consumer demand to upgrade from analogue meters to smart meters. Their recent research, published in October, showed that consumer demand for smart meters is strong, with 98% of people in Great Britain now aware of smart meters and their benefits.

Carbon Emissions

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment his Department has made of the time required to restructure the UK's economy to reach zero carbon emissions before 2050.

Claire Perry: Following the publication of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s special report on global warming of 1.5°C last month, I have asked our independent experts, the Committee on Climate Change, for their advice on the implications of the Paris Agreement for the UK’s long-term emissions reduction targets, including on setting a net zero target and how emissions reductions might be achieved across the economy. We will consider their advice carefully when it is received.

North Sea Oil

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will assess the effect of the decision to permit the development of the Alligin oil field in the North Sea on the UK's (a) carbon emissions and (b) ability to fulfil its commitments as a signatory to the Paris agreement on climate change.

Claire Perry: The decision to permit new oil and gas developments in the UK Continental Shelf is a matter for the independent regulator, the Oil and Gas Authority. In the UK, we have been producing oil and gas from offshore fields for more than 50 years and this new field will contribute to the UK’s diverse energy mix as we transition to a low carbon economy.

Solar Power: Feed-in Tariffs

Dr Alan Whitehead: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what proportion of the deemed export tariff for solar PV installations energy companies are managing the feed in tariff arrangements for; and what proportion of such installation costs are recoverable as part of their reported generators procurement arrangements.

Claire Perry: It is estimated that deemed export accounts for 45% of the total exported electricity under the Feed-In Tariffs scheme (FIT). In FIT Year 8 (2017-18) total exported electricity amounted to 2,483,061.662 MWh of which 1,123,480.502 MWh was deemed to have been exported. This information is not available for individual technologies. Levelisation is the mechanism by which the cost of the FIT scheme is apportioned across all Licensed Electricity Suppliers according to their share of Great Britain’s electricity market. Levelisation includes costs on a net basis with the value of deemed export to the supplier deducted from the export tariff payments made on deemed export. The value of electricity deemed to have been exported is set by the Secretary of State on an annual basis. More details can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/feed-in-tariffs-fits-determinations.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy: Cuadrilla Resources

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what meetings (a) he, (b) the Minister with responsibility for Climate Change, (c) other Ministers in his Department and (d) officials in his Department have had with representatives of Cuadrilla in the last three years.

Claire Perry: All Government Ministers and officials meet regularly with industry representatives, including those from the energy industry. A register of ministerial meetings is published on a quarterly basis as part of Departments’ transparency data.

Clothing: Retail Trade

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent discussions he has had with large clothing companies based in the EU who have stores in the UK on their future relationship with the UK after the UK leaves the European Union.

Kelly Tolhurst: This department engages regularly with businesses across a range of sectors including clothing retailers who have stores in the UK. Many of these businesses also have a European base, and we understand their concerns about retaining frictionless trade.This is why Government has been clear that the best outcome is for the UK to leave the EU with a deal and why, following months of intensive work and detailed discussions, we proposed a third option for our future economic relationship, based on the frictionless trade in goods.At March European Council, the UK and EU agreed that during the implementation period, the UK would be treated as a Member State for the purposes of international agreements, including trade agreements.This provides certainty and confidence that there will be no disruption to existing relationships underpinned by international agreements as we move into the Implementation Period.

Climate Change

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how he plans to assess the effectiveness of his Department's implementation of the recommendations that are forthcoming from the Committee on Climate Change in their response to the IPCC report on global warming of 1.5 degrees.

Claire Perry: Last month we asked the Committee on Climate Change for their advice on the implications of the Paris Agreement for the UK’s long-term emissions reduction targets, including on setting a net zero target. We expect to receive their response in spring 2019 and will consider their recommendations carefully before deciding any appropriate next steps to take.

Warm Home Discount Scheme

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, for what reasons the warm home discount scheme is only eligible for use with some electricity suppliers; and whether he plans to extend that list of suppliers for the scheme.

Claire Perry: We set a threshold of a minimum number of customer accounts for supplier participation in the Warm Home Discount to ensure small suppliers are not disproportionately burdened and to avoid creating excessive barriers to entry to the market. Following the Warm Home Discount consultation earlier this year, we decided to retain the customer threshold at 250,000 domestic accounts for participating suppliers in 2018/19, but to lower it to 200,000 in 2019/20 and 150,000 in 2020/21. We intend to reduce the threshold to zero or a small minimum, if the evidence on the impacts of reducing the threshold on the energy markets supports this approach. This gradual reduction will give smaller suppliers time to prepare for delivery, adjust their business models and help minimise the risk of non-compliance.

Construction: Licensing

Faisal Rashid: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to the Industrial Strategy for Construction 2025, published in 2013, what progress his Department has made on the introduction of a licensing scheme for building companies to protect consumers from rogue traders.

Richard Harrington: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 2nd November to Question 184422. We remain in a dialogue with the industry about this and other issues, as part of our regular discussions with the construction sector.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy: Apprentices

David Linden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many apprentices are employed in his Department.

Richard Harrington: There are 55 apprentices employed at the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy. This does not include apprentices employed at our Executive Agencies.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy: Pay

David Linden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many staff in his Department are paid less than £8.75 per hour.

Richard Harrington: Every member of staff employed by the Department is paid more than £8.75 per hour for their contracted hours.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy: Pay

David Linden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many staff in his Department are paid less than £10.20 per hour.

Richard Harrington: Every member of staff employed by the Department is paid more than £10.20 per hour for their contracted hours.

Trade Unions: Electronic Voting

Chris Stephens: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, when he plans to publish Department's review of trade unions using electronic balloting in future industrial action ballots; and if he will make a statement.

Kelly Tolhurst: In line with requirements under the Trade Union Act 2016, the Department will arrange a roundtable to consult the relevant organisations and professionals on Sir Ken Knight’s report on his review of electronic balloting for industrial action. Invitees will be drawn from interested groups, including the trade unions. Following that consultation, we will respond to Sir Ken’s report.

Humber Estuary: Wind Power

Melanie Onn: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 4 June to Question 146924 ABLE Humber Port, what further steps he is taking to support the growth of on-shore wind on the South Bank of the Humber.

Claire Perry: On 23 July 2018, the Government announced the timetable for future CfD auctions with the next Pot 2 allocation round opening by the end of May 2019, and then an auction every 2 years. Depending on the price achieved, each CfD round could deliver 1 GW to 2 GW of new offshore wind every year in 2020s. This forward visibility and certainty can help businesses to plan and make the investment decisions they need, to be in a growing global sector, supporting our ambitious Industrial Strategy and helping to develop UK supply chains.

Appledore Shipyard

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what discussions his Department has held with Babcock on securing the future of Appledore shipyard.

Richard Harrington: The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy is in close contact with Babcock regarding the closure of Appledore Shipyard. The Department is liaising closely with the MOD who have spent £1.7bn with Babcock last year. The MOD had explored a range of options with Babcock but this was not enough for Babcock to decide to maintain the Appledore facility.. In the event of job losses being announced, the Government will provide assistance through its Rapid Response Service and is ready to support any employee affected by this announcement.

Modern Working Practices Review

Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what progress has been made on identifying a set of metrics to measure the quality of work as recommended by the Matthew Taylor Review of Modern Working Practices.

Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, when his Department plans to respond to its consultations on (a) employment status, (b) increasing transparency in the labour market, (c) agency workers recommendations and (d) enforcement of employment rights.

Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to pages 62 to 65 of the February 2018 of the Government response to the Taylor Review of Modern Working Practices, what steps the Government has taken to improve support for self-employed people.

Kelly Tolhurst: The Government has received over 400 detailed responses to the four consultations launched in February. We are very grateful to everyone who took the time to respond. Their insights have been invaluable in informing our policy development. We will be publishing our response to these consultations in due course.

Employment Agency Standards Inspectorate: Staff

Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many staff were employed by the Employment Agency Standards Inspectorate in (a) 2015, (b) 2016, (c) 2017 and (d) 2018.

Kelly Tolhurst: The following information is based on the resourcing of the Employment Agency Standards Inspectorate (EAS) for the 31st March in each year: 2015 – 52016 – 112017 – 112018 – 12 The Department continues to review the resourcing needs both in the short term and in the context of wider, longer term reforms including the Taylor Review of Modern Working Practices and the strategy of the Director of Labour Market Enforcement.

Drugs: Prices

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the Intellectual Property Office in helping to keep new drug prices at affordable levels; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Sam Gyimah: This Government is committed to ensuring patients have access to the medicines they need and that they are cost-effective and affordable to the NHS. The Intellectual Property Office has no role in the negotiating and setting of drug prices which is the responsibility of the Department for Health and Social Care.

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

Tenancy Deposit Schemes

Matt Western: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many tenants have successfully claimed compensation from their landlord following the landlord’s failure to protect the tenant’s deposit in each of the last five years.

Kit Malthouse: The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government does not collect data on such court cases.

System Building: Safety

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 18 October 2017 to Question 179108 on System Building: Safety, if he will place a copy in the Library of the information his Department holds on the Building Research Establishment review of its risk assessment guidance.

James Brokenshire: The Building Research Establishment (BRE) have completed an initial review of their guidance on the assessment of the structural safety of large panel systems buildings and concluded that the guidance remains relevant and does not require an update at this stage - they will be keeping the situation under review. We do not hold any documentation pertaining to their decision.

Private Rented Housing

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the MHCLG Rental Campaign 17/18 recorded in his Department's document entitled exceptions to spending controls: advertising, January to March 2018, published on 25 October 2018, what estimate he has made of the number of (a) landlords and (b) tenants that engaged with that campaign; and what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of that campaign was in meeting it's stated objectives.

James Brokenshire: My Department is planning to run a Private Rented Sector campaign to raise awareness of rights and responsibilities among tenants and landlords to encourage the renting of more safe and decent homes within the private rented sector. The campaign is currently in the planning stage and a full evaluation will be done once the campaign is completed.

Housing Revenue Accounts

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what criteria his Department will use in deciding whether local authorities will be able to exceed the housing revenue account borrowing cap; and if he will make a statement.

Kit Malthouse: On 29 October 2018, we abolished the Housing Revenue Account borrowing cap in full and with immediate effect. Local authorities are now free to borrow to build new council homes in accordance with the Prudential Code, and will not need to apply to the Government for permission to borrow.

Housing: Health

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the effect on peoples health of the quality of (a) ventilation, (b) lighting and (c) acoustics in house building; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the Healthy Homes and Buildings all party parliament group green paper Building our Future: Laying the Foundations for Healthy Homes and Buildings; and what steps the Government is taking to improve the overall standard of new and existing homes to ensure that people live in comfortable, warm, dry, well-lit and well designed homes.

Kit Malthouse: The Government will consider the Healthy Homes and Buildings all party parliament group green paper, "Building our Future: Laying the Foundations for Healthy Homes and Buildings", in taking forward its work on reviewing the guidance in relevant Building Regulations’ Approved Documents. This follows recommendations by Dame Judith Hackitt in her independent review of building regulations and fire safety, and in the review announced on 26 October to assess how well the Housing Health and Safety Rating System works in practice, whether it needs to be updated and, if so, to what extent.

Housing: Construction

Ruth George: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what the reasons are for the continued development of new buildings which are not carbon neutral.

Kit Malthouse: New buildings have to meet high energy performance standards, which help saves energy bills as well as carbon. The Clean Growth Strategy said that the Government would consult in 2019 on an uplift to the Building Regulations energy efficiency standards where safe, practical, cost-effective, and affordable.

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government: Social Media

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how much his Department has spent from the public purse on promoted content on (a) Twitter, (b) Facebook and (c) Instagram in each month since June 2017.

Jake Berry: The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has spent the following amounts on promoted content on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram since June 2017:a) Twitter £6,289 (March/April 2018)b) Facebook £41,802 (February/March/April/September 2018)c) Instagram NilAll figures include VAT

Housing: Construction

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will hold discussions with the all-party group on Healthy Homes and Buildings on the (a) extent of the problems caused by poor quality homes and buildings and (b) steps that are being taken to incentivise home providers and builders to build and retrofit homes to the highest standards.

Kit Malthouse: I refer the Hon Member to my previous answer to Question UIN 177311 on 15 October 2018.

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government: Recruitment

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant the Answer of 20 October 2018 to Question 183862 on Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government: Recruitment, what the additional annual cost to his Department is of this recruitment.

James Brokenshire: The information requested is not held centrally and could only be collated at disproportionate cost to the Department.

Homelessness: Expenditure

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how much his Department has spent on homelessness programmes (a) in total and (b) by programme in each year since 2009-10.

James Brokenshire: The information requested could only be provided at a disproportionate cost. However, over this spending review period we have allocated over £1.2 billion in funding to reduce homelessness and rough sleeping, as well as supporting the implementation of the Homelessness Reduction Act. This includes:£316 million of core funding to local authorities;£215 million of central Government funding for homelessness programmes, which includes £28 million for our Housing First pilots and the £20 million Private Rented Sector Access Fund announced at Autumn Budget 2017;£100 million to deliver low-cost ‘move-on’ accommodation places, for people leaving hostels and refuges to make a sustainable recovery; and£617 million in Flexible Homelessness Support Grant funding which gives local authorities greater flexibility to prioritise homelessness prevention in their areas.

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government: Pay

David Linden: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many staff in his Department are paid less than £10.20 per hour.

Jake Berry: None of the Department's directly employed staff earns less than £10.20 per hour.

Sleeping Rough

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many councils implemented Severe Weather Emergency Protocol provision in 2017-18.

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what estimate he has made of the cost to councils of implementing Severe Weather Emergency Protocol provision in 2017-18.

James Brokenshire: The Department does not hold this information. It is the responsibility of each local authority to make arrangements and provide for their own Severe Weather Emergency Protocol arrangements according to their local weather conditions and needs. Guidance on the operation of SWEP is available at – https://www.homeless.org.uk/our-work/resources/guidance-on-severe-weather-emergency-protocol-swep-and-extended-weather-provision

Supported Housing

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what progress he has made on the promised review of housing related support.

James Brokenshire: The Government is committed to maintaining and boosting supply of supported housing. Following our commitment earlier this summer to undertake a review of housing-related support, we are now in the process of finalising the procurement arrangements to enable us to tender the review by the end of the year.

Housing

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many proposals in the Government's 2017 Housing White Paper (a) were made and (b) have been implemented.

James Brokenshire: Our Housing White Paper sets out a long term and comprehensive strategy, with dozens of proposals to release more land for homes where people want to live; build the homes we need faster; get more people building homes; and support people who need help now.Since then, we have continued to take action to make our housing market work better, including:Planning reforms to ensure more land is available for housing and maximise the potential of our cities and towns to build new homes whilst protecting the Green Belt;Launching Homes England, bringing together money, expertise, planning and compulsory purchase powers;Lifting Housing Revenue Account borrowing caps so local authorities can deliver a new generation of council housing;More than £15 billion of new financial support over the next five years, taking total financial support to at least £44 billion to 2022/2023. This will boost the delivery of housing and use funds flexibly to unblock the barriers to more housebuilding;Publishing a Green Paper which sets out a new deal for social housing in England;Measures to rebalance the relationship between tenants and landlords to deliver a fairer, good quality and more affordable private rented sector;And reforms to make sure the leasehold system in England is fair and transparent to the consumer.Taken together, our reforms put us on track to create, fund and drive a fairer housing market that delivers 300,000 homes a year on average by the mid-2020s.

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government: Apprentices

David Linden: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many apprentices are employed in his Department.

Jake Berry: 38 apprentices are employed by the Department as of 31 October 2018.

UK Shared Prosperity Fund

Ben Lake: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of providing Pillar 2 CAP funding for England through the proposed UK Shared Prosperity Fund after the UK leaves the EU.

Jake Berry: The UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) will be a new fund which affords a fresh opportunity to spend money according to our own priorities rather than those set by the EU.We want to ensure that the UKSPF is designed to support rural economies and communities.We intend to consult on the design and priorities of the UKSPF later this year. This will inform decisions on the operation and allocations of the Fund which will be taken as part of the 2019 Spending Review.

ABLE Humber Port

Melanie Onn: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 4 June 2018 to Question 146924 on ABLE Humber Port, what steps he is taking to monitor the effect of the Government’s investment in the Able Marine Energy Park.

Jake Berry: The Government awarded £14.9 million in the 2014-15 financial year as part of its Building Foundations for Growth Fund. The release of this funding was dependant on the Accountable Body, North Lincolnshire Council, verifying that the site had reached agreed milestones. The Accountable Body confirmed that all conditions for the grant had been met. Further development of ABLE is a commercial matter for the company.

UK Shared Prosperity Fund

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, for what reasons the consultation on the Shared Prosperity Fund has not yet been launched; and if he will make a statement.

Jake Berry: The UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) will be designed to reduce inequalities between communities by raising productivity, especially in places that are furthest behind.We are continuing to develop its design and priorities to ensure that we get it right. As part of this, we continue to engage widely ahead of a public consultation intended for later this year, providing all interested parties with an opportunity to convey their views. This will inform decisions on the operation and allocation of the UKSPF, which will be subject to the 2019 Spending Review.

Business Premises: Tenancy Deposit Schemes

Mr Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will introduce an obligatory tenancy deposit scheme for commercial premises with a rateable value of £51,000 or less.

Mrs Heather Wheeler: The terms on whether and how a deposit will be paid by the tenants of a commercial property and how this will be retained by the landlord should be included within the commercial lease agreement agreed by both parties. It may be useful to include in this a rent deposit deed setting out how the landlord will secure the deposit.Under the tenancy deposit protection legislation introduced in the Housing Act 2004, all landlords letting on residential assured shorthold tenancies are required to protect their tenants' deposits in a government-approved scheme within 30 days of taking the deposit. We do not currently have any plans to require the use of a tenancy deposit scheme for commercial tenancies.The letting agent or property manager should arbitrate any disputes between the landlord or tenant in the first instance. Since 1 October 2014, it has been a legal requirement for lettings agents and property managers in England to join one of two government-approved redress schemes (the Property Ombudsman or the Property Redress Scheme) and a complaint can be made to the relevant redress scheme should the letting agent or property manager be unable to arbitrate the dispute.

Social Rented Housing: Tenants

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what guidance his Department has issued to housing associations on the proximity of vulnerable people in nearby accommodation when placing known problem tenants.

Mrs Heather Wheeler: Private Registered Providers of social housing, housing associations registered with the Social Housing Regulator, must comply with the Regulator's standards framework. The standard on allocations compels Private Registered Providers of social housing to allocate their properties in a fair, transparent and efficient way; taking into account the housing needs and aspirations of tenants and potential tenants. They must also demonstrate how their lettings make the best use of available housing, are compatible with the purpose of the housing, and contribute to local authorities’ strategic housing function and sustainable communities. As private bodies, it is for Private Registered Providers of social housing to create and implement an allocations strategy for their properties that enables them to meet the requirements of this standard.The Regulator’s standards framework also requires that Private Registered Providers of social housing work in partnership with other public agencies to prevent and tackle anti-social behaviour in the neighbourhoods where they own homes and demonstrate that prompt, appropriate and decisive action is taken to deal with anti-social behaviour before it escalates.The Regulator's standards are published at:https://www.gov.uk/guidance/regulatory-standards.

Travellers: Caravan Sites

Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to his Department's consultation on powers for dealing with unauthorised development and encampments, which closed on 15 June 2018, when his Department plans to respond to that consultation.

Kit Malthouse: We are working closely with the Home Office and Ministry of Justice in considering the responses to the consultation, and we will announce a way forward in due course.

Bus Services: Greater Manchester

Jim McMahon: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether his Department has received a request from Greater Manchester for mayoral precept powers to fund bus franchising.

Jake Berry: We have received a request from Greater Manchester Combined Authority [GMCA] to which we will respond, for an order amending the GMCA constitution, including providing for the Mayor to be responsible for all operational bus functions including operating and funding bus franchising. However, these constitutional changes are not required for the Combined Authority to start bus franchising.

Affordable Housing

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to Homes England's Strategic Plan, what targets have been set for Homes England in relation to affordable housing.

James Brokenshire: The Government is committed to increasing the supply of social housing and has made £9 billion available through the Affordable Homes Programme to March 2022 to deliver 250,000 new affordable homes of a wide range of tenures, including social rent.

Housing Revenue Accounts

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will publish a list of the bids the Government has received from local authorities under the scheme announced in Budget 2017 to increase housing revenue account borrowing headroom.

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the scheme announced in Budget 2017 to increase housing revenue account borrowing headroom, if he will publish (a) the additional borrowing headroom and (b) any additional linked grant funding applied for by councils under that scheme, by local authority.

James Brokenshire: The £1 billion additional borrowing programme, which we launched in the summer, was over subscribed with local authorities submitting a total of almost 1,000 bids exceeding £2.8 billion additional borrowing. This scale of bids helped to demonstrate local authority demand for additional borrowing and appetite to increase council house building, and helped to inform the decision to abolish the Housing Revenue Account borrowing cap.The Autumn Budget confirmed the complete abolition of the borrowing cap with immediate effect. With the issuing of a determination that revoked the previous determinations specifying local authority limits on indebtedness, local authorities can now borrow for house building in accordance with the Prudential Code without seeking permission for borrowing from the Government. As a result, the bids that local authorities submitted for additional borrowing through the £1 billion borrowing programme have fallen away.We anticipate that local authorities may wish to reflect on their house building plans in light of the abolition of the borrowing cap, and may wish to develop new and even more ambitious plans for house building. In light of this, it would not be appropriate to publish details about the schemes that local authorities submitted to the £1 billion borrowing programme, as these schemes may now be out of date.

Planning Permission

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the effect of the extension of permitted development rights on the amount of funding made available for local areas through planning obligations.

James Brokenshire: In bringing forward permitted development rights we have recognised that the only additional funding to local planning authorities through planning obligations will be where additional floor space is created and there is a Community Infrastructure Levy charging schedule in place. We consider that the permitted development rights for the change of use to residential are of themselves making an important contribution to housing delivery, with over 18,800 homes delivered under such rights in the year to March 2017.

Planning Permission

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the Government's proposals to extend permitted development rights to include upwards extensions to free standing blocks of flats over five storeys, what assessment he has made of the (a) consistency of those proposals with the recommendations of the Hackitt Review of Building Regulations and Fire Safety and (b) effect of those proposals on fire safety in high rise blocks.

James Brokenshire: Building Regulations apply when building work is undertaken, irrespective of whether a permitted development right is in place under planning legislation. Any changes made to Building Regulations arising from the recommendations made by Dame Judith Hackitt similarly will apply irrespective of whether a permitted development right in place. We will say more about our plans for taking forward Dame Judith’s recommendations later this year.

Housing: South Yorkshire

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to his Department’s press release entitled Government announces new housing measures, published 1 October 2018, how many houses of the 300,000 houses are planned to be built in South Yorkshire.

Kit Malthouse: The Government is committed to delivering 300,000 homes per year by the mid-2020s, and ensuring the housing market works across the country. Since 2011, we have allocated over £1.6 billion from the Affordable Homes Programme to deliver affordable homes in the North East, North West and Yorkshire.In England, planning is the responsibility of the relevant local authorities. National planning policy provides a framework within which local authorities should plan, but it is the responsibility of local authorities to produce plans appropriate to their circumstances.In July we introduced a new standard approach to assessing local housing need, which authorities will use to establish the minimum number of homes that need to be planned for to ensure that the starting point in the process is a realistic reflection of the number of homes the country needs.

Buildings: Insulation

Chris Elmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer given on 25 July 2018 to Question 164527 on Buildings: Insulation, whether the Government has made an estimate of the number of (a) schools, (b) care homes, (c) hospitals and (c) other high-risk buildings that might have combustible cladding or insulation.

Chris Elmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer given on 25 July 2018 to Question 164527, what estimate he has made of the number of care homes in England and Wales of any height that have combustible (a) cladding and (b) insulation.

Chris Elmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 25 July 2018 to Question 164527 on Buildings: Insulation, whether the Government has made an estimate of the number of (a) schools, (b) care homes and (c) hospitals that are partially clad in combustible material such as ACM cladding.

Kit Malthouse: The Government’s Building Safety Programme is tracking the remediation of residential buildings over 18 metres with unsafe Aluminium Composite Material (ACM) cladding systems. The data in our monthly data release includes buildings which are partially clad in these materials.We do not hold the relevant information for buildings with other cladding or insulation systems. As of 12 October 2018, there are 9 high-rise (over 18 metres) publicly owned buildings, comprising hospitals and schools in England with ACM cladding systems unlikely to meet the Building Regulations requirements. Of these, 8 are hospitals and 1 is a school.We are working with the Department of Health and Social Care, NHS Improvement and Department for Education to ensure that appropriate remediation steps are being taken on public buildings. We are not aware of any high-rise care homes over 18 metres with unsafe ACM cladding systems. We do not hold the relevant information for any buildings with other cladding or insulation systems.

Association of Residential Managing Agents

Sir Desmond Swayne: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will include the Association of Residential Managing Agents in his working group on leasehold reform and the regulation of managing agents; and if he will make a statement.

Mrs Heather Wheeler: There are no plans to make the Association of Residential Managing Agents (ARMA) a member of the Regulation of Property Agents Working Group. The composition of the working group's membership needs to reflect a balance of interests between property agents and housing consumers.Already included within the working group are two professional bodies with knowledge and experience of property management: the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors and the Institute of Residential Property Management. Both these organisations have members who are also members of ARMA, or work on behalf of them. The working group will wish to invite others to personally provide evidence and give their views. When the working group discusses managing agents, ARMA will be at the forefront of the list of organisations for this purpose.

Planning Permission

Sir Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to Answer of 29 October 2018 to Question 181533 on Planning Permission, whether intentional unauthorised development is still a material consideration in cases involving land outside the Green Belt.

Kit Malthouse: The Written Ministerial Statement (HCWS423) regarding Green Belt protection and intentional unauthorised development, made by my Right Hon Friend the Member for Great Yarmouth on 17 December 2015, is still a potential material consideration in a planning case, whether or not the land is within a Green Belt.

*No heading*

Fiona Bruce: What steps his Department is taking to tackle unfair practices in the leasehold system.

Mrs Heather Wheeler: The Government is very clear that unjust practices in leasehold must come to an end. We have committed to banning new leasehold houses and restricting ground rents on future leases to a peppercorn. We launched our consultation on the details of these proposals on 15 October.

*No heading*

Mr Philip Hollobone: If his Department will take steps with the Department of Health and Social Care to use the reorganisation of local government in Northamptonshire to better integrate the local delivery of health and social care.

James Brokenshire: We are already taking such steps. On 18 October we convened a meeting between Leaders and chief executives of the Northamptonshire councils, representatives of local health service providers and officials from the departments responsible, to start discussions on how, in future, adult social care might best be provided and integrated with health.

*No heading*

Tom Brake: What recent assessment he has made of the effect of the cost of housing on trends in the level of evictions.

Mrs Heather Wheeler: Government keeps rent levels and numbers of evictions under review. We are taking steps to make renting more affordable and more secure. In the private rented sector, we have recently consulted on overcoming the barriers to longer tenancies and we have committed to ban letting fees and cap tenancy deposits.

Ministry of Defence

War Graves: Iron and Steel

Gillian Keegan: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to ensure that steel plating made before the nuclear testing era and taken from maritime war graves does not enter the supply chain for scientific and medical equipment.

Stuart Andrew: UK Government officials continue to work closely with regional authorities to protect the wrecks of Royal Navy vessels, share information and support each other's interests where possible to protect these sites and to ensure the last resting places of our people are adequately protected. Where we have evidence of desecration of the wrecks of Royal Navy vessels, we will take appropriate action.

Boko Haram: Military Intervention

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what military assistance the Government is providing to the Government of Nigeria to help it defeat Boko Haram.

Mark Lancaster: The UK and Nigeria share a deep and long-standing Defence partnership. Since 2014, the UK has sought to support and enable a Nigerian-led regional response to Boko Haram and related violent extremism, doing so in the context of the long-term need to help build capacity of the Nigerian Armed Forces and support Defence Transformation. Some 70 Defence personnel are currently deployed to Nigeria on an enduring basis, and over 800 have deployed to Nigeria on training and advisory tasks since April 2015. This is supported by equipment gifting, places on professional development courses, and a focus on developing Nigerian Command, Staff, and Leadership institutions.

Royal Naval Reserve: Recruitment

Andrew Bowie: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the average expected period for a person attempting to join the Royal Naval Reserve is from first applying to sitting an entrance assessment.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The first selection test for an applicant to either the Regular Naval Service or the Royal Naval Reserve is the Recruitment Test. Subject to the availability of the candidate and a test place, an Armed Forces Careers Office will aim to arrange for the test to take place within 14 days of receipt of an application.

Uganda: Military Aid

Dr Paul Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 16 October 2018 to Question 176667 on Uganda: Military Aid, what training and support the Government offers to (a) Uganda's Chieftaincy of Military Intelligence and (b) Uganda's Police Rapid Response Unit.

Mark Lancaster: I can confirm that members of the Ugandan armed forces have received intelligence training provided by the UK, but it is not our practice to comment in detail on the nature of intelligence relationships with other nations. HM Government provides no support to Uganda's Police Rapid Response Unit. As part of our engagement we emphasise the importance of professional forces operating within the framework of international law.

Armed Forces: Mental Health Services

Dr Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many (a) permanent and (b) non-permanent staff were employed in (i) Departments of Community Mental Health and (ii) other secondary mental health care services in the Armed Forces at the end of each financial year since 2009-10; and what the ratio of military staff to civilians in those services was in each of those years.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The table below shows the numbers of Regular, Reserve and Civilian permanent staff employed in the Defence Medical Services since 2011. We do not hold the data requested for 2009 and 2010. It is not possible to break down the figures into those employed in Departments of Community Mental Health (DCMHs) and elsewhere within the Defence Medical Services. Non-permanent staff such as locums may have been employed during this period to fill temporary vacancies and staff absences, such as operational deployments. It has not been possible to obtain verified figures for these within the timescale available.  Regular ReserveCivilian2011   Psychiatrist10~Not availablePsychologist00Not availableMental Health Nurse12050Not availableSocial Worker00Not available 1305002012   Psychiatrist20~Not availablePsychologist00Not availableMental Health Nurse12030Not availableSocial Worker00Not available 1403002013   Psychiatrist10105Psychologist~010Mental Health Nurse1205010Social Worker0010 13060352014   Psychiatrist10~5Psychologist~010Mental Health Nurse1204010Social Worker0010 13040352015   Psychiatrist10~5Psychologist~020Mental Health Nurse1104020Social Worker0010 12040552016   Psychiatrist15~5Psychologist~025Mental Health Nurse1055015Social Worker0040 12050852017   Psychiatrist15~Not availablePsychologist00Not availableMental Health Nurse9045Not availableSocial Worker00Not available 10545 2018   Psychiatrist15~5Psychologist0025Mental Health Nurse855040Social Worker0045 10050115 The tilde (~) denotes a number less than five. Figures are rounded to the nearest five.

Ministry of Defence: Private Finance Initiative

Jamie Stone: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many PFI contracts he or his predecessors signed between 14 October 2011 and 15 July 2014.

Stuart Andrew: The Ministry of Defence has placed no private finance initiative (PFI) contracts between the period in question. Information on PFI contracts across Government, as at 31 March 2017, can be found at the below link, which also filters for specific Departments:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/private-finance-initiative-and-private-finance-2-projects-2017-summary-data.

Ministry of Defence: Public Private Partnerships

Jamie Stone: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many PPP contracts he or his predecessors signed between 14 October 2011 and 15 July 2014.

Stuart Andrew: What constitutes a Public Private Partnerships (PPP) contract has changed over time and all the relevant data that could be regarded as PPP is not held centrally. Therefore, the number of these contracts the Ministry of Defence has placed could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Trident Submarines

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the value is of the Dreadnought contingency.

Stuart Andrew: The value of the Dreadnought contingency is £10 billion, as announced in the Strategic Defence and Security Review 2015.

Ministry of Defence: Apprentices

David Linden: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many apprentices are employed in his Department.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: As of 31 October 2018, there were 964 Ministry of Defence civilian personnel employed on apprenticeship schemes. In addition, there are around 20,000 Armed Forces personnel undertaking apprenticeships at any one time.The recently published data detailing the Civil Service performance against the first year of Public Sector Apprenticeship Targets can be found at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/civil-service-apprenticeship-data-2017-to-2018

Ministry of Defence: Pay

David Linden: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many staff in his Department are paid less than £8.75 per hour.

David Linden: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many staff in his Department are paid less than £10.20 per hour.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) pays over and above the National Living Wage, which was increased to £7.83 per hour in April 2018. The MOD has not formally signed up to the Living Wage Rates of £8.75 (National) and £10.20 (London), as defined by the Living Wage Foundation. In 2015 the then Secretary of State for Defence agreed that all London-based staff should be paid at least the equivalent of the Living Wage Foundation's London Living Wage rate. The MOD continues to pay above that rate.As at 31 October 2018, a total of 9,965 MOD civilian staff were paid less than £10.20 per hour, of which a total of 1,757 were paid less than £8.75 per hour.

Veterans

Chris Stephens: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what consultations his Department has conducted on the proposed outsourcing of veteran services; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The Ministry of Defence is committed to providing high quality services to our veterans and their families and we are continually looking for ways to improve these services. The Future Service Delivery Contract (FSDC) competition was launched on 6 April 2018 to re-compete the currently outsourced contract for the delivery of military pay, pensions and administration of personnel records which expires in November 2019.Included in the scope of the project is the market testing of some areas that are not currently outsourced, including some elements of veterans services; the Armed Forces Compensation Schemes and the War Pensions Schemes (and their associated support services). Their inclusion for market testing in no way indicates that the outcome will be the addition of these services to the already outsourced contract. However, we owe it to taxpayers and our serving military and veterans to explore whether the market can deliver increased value for money and more up to date digital enhancements to improve the efficiency and quality of the services. We also need to be sure that the current in-house delivery is still providing the best value and quality for Defence.The FSDC Project has regularly engaged with Trades Unions and stakeholders across Defence. Formal TU Consultation will take place at the appropriate time, should the market testing show that an external provider could provide better value for money.

Air Space

Martin Docherty-Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many times aircraft were intercepted by Quick Reaction Alert flights in (a) 2017 and (b) 2018 to 31 October.

Mark Lancaster: Quick Reaction Alert (QRA) Typhoon aircraft from RAF Lossiemouth and RAF Coningsby launched to intercept on six days in 2017 and on seven days in 2018 to 31 October inclusive.I am withholding further details as deterrence is a principal function of QRA and QRA is in turn an integral part of the air defence of the UK. The disclosure of information that might compromise the QRA deterrent capability would, or would be likely to, prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the Armed Forces.

Ministry of Defence: Drugs

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if she will publish the top 10 drugs by purchased by his Department in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The top 10 drugs purchased by the Ministry of Defence in each of the last five years by value is as follows: 2017-18DescriptionRABIES VACCINE BP SINGLE DOSE VIAL WITH DILUENT WATER FOR INJ 1ML SYRINGE (RAB/VAC) 1 X PK 'RABIPUR'PROGUANIL HYDROCHLORIDE 100MG ATOVAQUONE 250MG F/C TABLETS 1 X 12 PACKMENINGOCOCCAL POLYSACCHARIDE VACCINE GROUPS A,C,Y AND W-135 COMBINED  POWDER AND SOLUTION FOR INJECTION INTRAMUSCULAR USE 1 X VIAL WITH 1 X VIAL DILUENT 'MENVEO'YELLOW FEVER VACCINE (LIVE) SINGLE DOSE VIAL POWDER FOR INJECTION WITH  0.5ML NACL INJECTION IN SYRINGE 1 X PACK 'STAMARIL'OVER-LABELLED - 12 PROGUANIL/ATOVAQUONE 100/250mg TABLETS-GENERICENCEPHALITIS TICK-BORNE VACCINE INACTIVATED 1 X 0.5ML PRELOADED SYRINGETYPHOID VACCINE POLYSACCARIDE 50MCG/ML SINGLE DOSE 0.5ML PREFILLED  SYRINGE 1 X 10 PACKADALIMUMAB 40MG SOLUTION FOR INJECTION IN 0.4ML PRE-FILLED PEN PACK OF  2 PENS 'HUMIRA'DIPHTHERIA, TETANUS AND PERTUSSIS TOXOID (ACELLULAR) AND HEPATITIS B,  POLIOVIRUS AND HAEMOPHILUS TYPE B (HIB) VACCINE PRE-FILLED SYRINGE ' INFANRIX HEXA'RABIES VACCINE BP POWDER AND SOLVENT FOR SUSPENSION FOR INJECTION  PACK OF 1 VIAL AND 1 PREFILLED SYRINGE 'RABIES BP'  2016-17DescriptionPROGUANIL HYDROCHLORIDE 100MG ATOVAQUONE 250MG F/C TABLETS 1 X 12 PACKMENINGOCOCCAL POLYSACCHARIDE VACCINE GROUPS A,C,Y AND W-135 COMBINED POWDER AND SOLUTION FOR INJECTION INTRAMUSCULAR USE 1 X VIAL WITH 1 X VIAL DILUENT 'MENVEO'ENCEPHALITIS TICK-BORNE VACCINE INACTIVATED 1 X 0.5ML PRELOADED SYRINGEYELLOW FEVER VACCINE (LIVE) SINGLE DOSE VIAL POWDER FOR INJECTION WITH 0.5ML NACL INJECTION IN SYRINGE 1 X PACK 'STAMARIL'RABIES VACCINE BP SINGLE DOSE VIAL WITH DILUENT WATER FOR INJ 1ML SYRINGE (RAB/VAC) 1 X PK 'RABIPUR'HEPATITIS B RECOMBINANT VACCINE ADSORBED 'ENGERIX' 20MCG/ML SUSPENSION FOR INJECTION 1ML PRE-FILLED SYRINGE PACK OF 10ETANERCEPT 50MG PRE-FILLED PEN PACK OF 4FENTANYL CITRATE;LOZENGE;800mcg;LOZENGE w/INTEGRAL OROMUCOSAL APPLICATOR; 1x3HEPATITIS A VIRUS VACCINE INACTIVATED 1ML PFS PACK OF 10 'HAVRIX'PNEUMOCOCCAL POLYSACCHARIDE CONJUGATE VACCINE (13-VALENT ADSORBED) SUSP FOR INJ IN 0.5ML PRE-FILLED SYRINGE PK OF 10 'PREVENAR 13' 2015-16DescriptionYELLOW FEVER VACCINE (LIVE) SINGLE DOSE VIAL POWDER FOR INJECTION WITH 0.5ML NACL INJECTION IN SYRINGE 1 X PACK 'STAMARIL'HEPATITIS B RECOMBINANT VACCINE ADSORBED 'ENGERIX' 20MCG/ML SUSPENSION FOR INJECTION 1ML PRE-FILLED SYRINGE PACK OF 10MENINGOCOCCAL POLYSACCHARIDE VACCINE GROUPS A,C,Y AND W-135 COMBINED POWDER AND SOLUTION FOR INJECTION INTRAMUSCULAR USE 1 X VIAL WITH 1 X VIAL DILUENT 'MENVEO'PROGUANIL HYDROCHLORIDE 100MG ATOVAQUONE 250MG F/C TABLETS 1 X 12 PACKRABIES VACCINE BP SINGLE DOSE VIAL WITH DILUENT WATER FOR INJ 1ML SYRINGE (RAB/VAC) 1 X PK 'RABIPUR'TYPHOID VACCINE POLYSACCARIDE 50MCG/ML SINGLE DOSE 0.5ML PREFILLED SYRINGE 1 X 10 PACKFENTANYL CITRATE;LOZENGE;800mcg;LOZENGE w/INTEGRAL OROMUCOSAL APPLICATOR; 1x3JAPANESE ENCEPHALITIS VACCINE (INACTIVATED, ADSORBED) SUSPENSION FOR INJECTION IN 0.5ML PRE-FILLED SYRINGE IXIAROETANERCEPT 50MG PRE-FILLED PEN PACK OF 4ENCEPHALITIS TICK-BORNE VACCINE INACTIVATED 1 X 0.5ML PRELOADED SYRINGE 2014-15DescriptionPROGUANIL HYDROCHLORIDE 100MG ATOVAQUONE 250MG F/C TABLETS 1 X 12 PACKYELLOW FEVER VACCINE (LIVE) SINGLE DOSE VIAL POWDER FOR INJECTION WITH 0.5ML NACL INJECTION IN SYRINGE 1 X PACK 'STAMARIL'HEPATITIS B RECOMBINANT VACCINE ADSORBED 'ENGERIX' 20MCG/ML SUSPENSION FOR INJECTION 1ML PRE-FILLED SYRINGE PACK OF 10YELLOW FEVER VACCINE 'STAMARIL' (LIVE) UNLICENSED 10 DOSE VIAL PACK OF 10 VIALS (100 DOSE TOTAL)MEFLOQUINE HYDROCHLORIDE 250MG TABLET 1 X 8 PACKRABIES VACCINE BP SINGLE DOSE VIAL WITH DILUENT WATER FOR INJ 1ML SYRINGE (RAB/VAC) 1 X PK 'RABIPUR'MENINGOCOCCAL POLYSACCHARIDE VACCINE GROUPS A,C,Y AND W-135 COMBINED POWDER AND SOLUTION FOR INJECTION INTRAMUSCULAR USE 1 X VIAL WITH 1 X VIAL DILUENT 'MENVEO'PNEUMOCOCCAL POLYSACCHARIDE CONJUGATE VACCINE (13-VALENT ADSORBED) SUSP FOR INJ IN 0.5ML PRE-FILLED SYRINGE PK OF 10 'PREVENAR 13'HEPATITIS A VIRUS VACCINE INACTIVATED 1ML PFS PACK OF 10 'HAVRIX'JAPANESE ENCEPHALITIS VACCINE (INACTIVATED, ADSORBED) SUSPENSION FOR INJECTION IN 0.5ML PRE-FILLED SYRINGE IXIARO 2013-14DescriptionYELLOW FEVER VACCINE (LIVE) SINGLE DOSE VIAL POWDER FOR INJECTION WITH 0.5ML NACL INJECTION IN SYRINGE 1 X PACK 'STAMARIL'HEPATITIS B RECOMBINANT VACCINE ADSORBED 'ENGERIX' 20MCG/ML SUSPENSION FOR INJECTION 1ML PRE-FILLED SYRINGE PACK OF 10PROGUANIL HYDROCHLORIDE 100MG ATOVAQUONE 250MG F/C TABLETS 1 X 12 PACKPROGUANIL HYDROCHLORIDE 100MG TABLETS X 98 AND CHLOROQUINE PHOSPHATE 250MG TABLETS X 14 1 X 112 TABLET TRAVEL PACKMEFLOQUINE HYDROCHLORIDE 250MG TABLET 1 X 8 PACKHEPATITIS A&B VACCINE 'TWINRIX'HEPATITIS B VACCINE 20MCG/ML ADSORBED 1 X 1ML PRE-FILLED SYRINGEHEPATITIS A VACCINE INACTIVATED 1 X PREFILLED SYRINGEMENINGOCOCCAL POLYSACCHARIDE VACCINE GROUPS A,C,Y AND W-135 COMBINED POWDER AND SOLUTION FOR INJECTION INTRAMUSCULAR USE 1 X VIAL WITH 1 X VIAL DILUENT 'MENVEO'YELLOW FEVER VACCINE 'STAMARIL' (LIVE) UNLICENSED 10 DOSE VIAL PACK OF 10 VIALS (100 DOSE TOTAL)

Department for International Trade

New Age (African Global Energy): Cameroon

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, with reference to his Department's press release entitled International visits pay off for British business, published on 8 June 2018, what estimate he has made of size of the revenue stream for the public treasury of the Government of Cameroon that is forecast to as a result of the natural gas deal between New Age (African Global Energy) Ltd and the Cameroonian Government announced in that press release.

Graham Stuart: The £1.5b investment deal concluded in June 2018 is a commercial agreement between New Age and the Government of Cameroon to develop the Etinde offshore bloc along the Atlantic coast of Cameroon. The Department for International Trade is responsible for supporting British businesses around the world and promoting trade ties with country partners. New Age is one of the companies we support in Cameroon.

Department for Transport

Department for Transport: Buildings

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what consultation his officials had with trade union health and safety representatives on the decision to move staff from Great Minster House.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: Trade unions were informed of the decision to rent additional space but were not consulted on the matter. As part of the preparation for the move from GMH officials engaged with trade union representatives, including trade union health and safety representatives. This engagement included two site visits to the new office space prior to occupation and a response to a questionnaire raised by trade union representatives related to compliance with all aspects of the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations.

Department for Transport: Pay

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate he has made of the length of time it will take women on the minimum of the London grade seven pay scale in his Department to get to the maximum of that pay scale.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: There is no guarantee of or automatic progression through pay ranges within the DfT pay structure. Movement through any pay range is achieved through the application of a pay award, the value of which is in excess of any changes to the values of pay range maxima and minima. Annual pay awards are negotiated with the unions and based on Civil Service Pay Policy and the funds available for any given year.

Department for Transport: Pay

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assurance he can provide that female staff on the minimum of the London grade seven pay scale in his Department will get to the maximum of that pay scale if they remain at that grade.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: There is no guarantee of or automatic progression through pay ranges within the DfT pay structure. Movement through any pay range is achieved through the application of a pay award, the value of which is in excess of any changes to the values of pay range maxima and minima. Annual pay awards are negotiated with the unions and based on Civil Service Pay Policy and the funds available for any given year.

Department for Transport: Pay

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate he has made of the number of (a) women and (b) men that will be on the minimum of the London grade seven pay scale in his Department in London as a result of the 2018 pay award.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: As a result of the 2018 pay award, it is estimated that the number of Department for Transport (Core) staff on the minimum of the London grade seven pay scale will be (a) 98 women and (b) 122 men.

Department for Transport: Career Development

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport,how many and what proportion of (a) BAME and (b) white candidates that applied for a promotion in his Department were successful between 1 October 2017 to 1 October 2018.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: Percentage of individuals successfully promoted in DfTc   WhiteBAMEPrefer not to sayApplications45%44%11%Successful68%26%7% The data provided relates to roles advertised by the Department for Transport (DfT) on the Civil Service Jobs recruitment platform. Any permanent promotion opportunities within the department would be advertised on the platform to allow fair and open competition with an appointment being made on merit. The completeness and accuracy of the data above is influenced by the following factors. For vacancies advertised across Government, individuals need to have a verified account to confirm their eligibility as existing Civil Servants. As part of their personal profile, Civil Servants are requested to provide their current substantive grade. If individuals have not completed their personal profile we would be unable to identify whether they were promoted. For vacancies advertised externally, individuals have the option to use a privately registered account as there is no requirement for them to confirm that they are existing Civil Servants. This means that in the instance that an existing Civil Servant applies for an externally advertised vacancy using a private account, then we cannot identify whether or not the successful individual is being promoted. In light of this, the data provided may not be comprehensive and would only be indicative in relation to the question put of ‘how many and what proportion of (a) BAME and (b) white candidates that applied for a promotion in his Department were successful between 1 October 2017 to 1 October 2018’. Diversity and Inclusion is at the heart of resourcing across the DfT and we continue to develop and test innovative new approaches to attract and hire a more diverse candidate pool. We have clear objectives to increase representation rates to reflect the proportion of BAME individuals in the local working-age population, strengthen our BAME talent pipeline (grades 6 and 7) and our leadership cadre (SCS) as well as increase diversity in roles and professions where BAME staff are under-represented. We have increased our DfT leaders from a BAME background; up to 6% of our Senior Civil Service (SCS) within the last year.

Department for Transport: Working Hours

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment he has made of his Department's compliance with Regulations 9 and 10 of the Working Time Directive.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: The Department for Transport has not made a recent assessment of its compliance with Articles 9 and 10 of the Working Time Directive, which are concerned with the welfare of night workers. Night working as defined under the directive is not normally required of DfT employees.

Department for Transport: Pay

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the total wage bill was for officials that were members of his Department’s Executive Committee on (a) 1 August 2017 and (b) 30 October 2018.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: The total monthly wage bill for officials that were members of the Department’s Executive Committee on(a) 1 August 2017 was £166,657.12; and on(b) 30 October 2018 was £143,950.55.

Department for Transport: Equal Pay

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate he has made of the effect of the 2018 pay award for his officials on the (a) mean, and (b) median and (c) average gender pay gap in his Department.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: The Department’s 2018 Gender Pay Gap report will be published online, on the DfT pages of the GOV.uk website. This report will be based on data as at 31st March 2018 and, as such, will not show the impact of the 2018 pay award.

Felixstowe Port: Domestic Visits

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many and which (a) Ministers and (b) officials in his Department have visited the Port of Felixstowe in the last 12 months; when those visits took place; and how long they spent at the border in each of those visits.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: The Port of Felixstowe was last visited by Department for Transport Ministers when:Secretary of State for Transport, Rt Hon Chris Grayling MP, visited on 12 January 2018Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Transport, Nusrat Ghani MP, visited on 17 May 2018. Numerous officials from across the Department for Transport engage with and visit the Port of Felixstowe in the course of their duties. Due to the number and variety of official level engagements it is not possible to provide a detailed breakdown of these visits as the information could only be provided at disproportionate cost. Departmental visits to UK ports allow sufficient time for ministers and officials to observe port operations.

Dover Port: Domestic Visits

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many and which (a) Ministers and (b) officials in his Department have visited the Port of Dover in the last 12 months; when those visits took place; and how long they spent at the border in each of those visits.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: The Port of Dover was last visited by a Department for Transport Minister when the Secretary of State for Transport, Rt Hon Chris Grayling MP, visited on 25 October 2018. Numerous officials from across the Department for Transport engage with and visit the Port of Dover in the course of their duties. Due to the number and variety of official level engagements it is not possible to provide a detailed breakdown of these visits as the information could only be provided at disproportionate cost. Departmental visits to UK ports allow sufficient time for ministers and officials to observe port operations.

Bristol Port: Domestic Visits

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many and which (a) Ministers and (b) officials in his Department have visited the Port of Bristol in the last 12 months; when those visits took place; and how long they spent at the border in each of those visits.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: The Port of Bristol was last visited by a Department for Transport Minister when the then Minister of State for Transport, Rt Hon John Hayes CBE MP, visited on 07 November 2017. Numerous officials from across the Department for Transport engage with and visit the Port of Bristol in the course of their duties. Due to the number and variety of official level engagements it is not possible to provide a detailed breakdown of these visits as the information could only be provided at disproportionate cost. Departmental visits to UK ports allow sufficient time for ministers and officials to observe port operations.

Portsmouth Port: Domestic Visits

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many and which (a) Ministers and (b) officials in his Department have visited the Port of Portsmouth in the last 12 months; when those visits took place; and how long they spent at the border in each of those visits.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: The Port of Portsmouth was last visited by a Department for Transport Minister when the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Transport, Nusrat Ghani MP, visited on 09 August 2018. Numerous officials from across the Department for Transport engage with and visit the Port of Portsmouth in the course of their duties. Due to the number and variety of official level engagements it is not possible to provide a detailed breakdown of these visits as the information could only be provided at disproportionate cost. Departmental visits to UK ports allow sufficient time for ministers and officials to observe port operations.

Liverpool Port: Domestic Visits

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many and which (a) Ministers and (b) officials in his Department have visited the Port of Liverpool in the last 12 months; when those visits took place; and how long they spent at the border in each of those visits.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: The Port of Liverpool was last visited by a Department for Transport Minister when Nusrat Ghani MP visited on 25 July 2018. Numerous officials from across the Department for Transport engage with and visit the Port of Liverpool in the course of their duties. Due to the number and variety of official level engagements it is not possible to provide a detailed breakdown of these visits as the information could only be provided at disproportionate cost. Departmental visits to UK ports allow sufficient time for ministers and officials to observe port operations.

Tilbury Port: Domestic Visits

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many and which (a) Ministers and (b) officials in his Department have visited the Port of Tilbury in the last 12 months; when those visits took place; and how long they spent at the border in each of those visits.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: The Port of Tilbury was last visited by a Department for Transport Minister when Rt Hon John Hayes CBE MP, then Minister of State for Transport visited on 28 June 2017. Numerous officials from across the Department for Transport engage with and visit the Port of Tilbury in the course of their duties. Due to the number and variety of official level engagements it is not possible to provide a detailed breakdown of these visits as the information could only be provided at disproportionate cost. Departmental visits to UK ports allow sufficient time for ministers and officials to observe port operations.

Newcastle Port: Domestic Visits

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many and which (a) Ministers and (b) officials in his Department have visited the Port of Newcastle in the last 12 months; when those visits took place; and how long they spent at the border in each of those visits.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: The Port of Tyne was last visited by a Department for Transport Minister when the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Transport, Nusrat Ghani MP, visited on 20 September 2018. Numerous officials from across the Department for Transport engage with and visit the Port of Tyne in the course of their duties. Due to the number and variety of official level engagements it is not possible to provide a detailed breakdown of these visits as the information could only be provided at disproportionate cost. Departmental visits to UK ports allow sufficient time for ministers and officials to observe port operations.

Hull Port: Domestic Visits

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many and which (a) Ministers and (b) officials in his Department have visited the Port of Hull in the last 12 months; when those visits took place; and how long they spent at the border in each of those visits.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: The Port of Hull was last visited by a Department for Transport Minister when the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Transport, Nusrat Ghani MP, visited on 22 February 2018. Numerous officials from across the Department for Transport engage with and visit the Port of Hull in the course of their duties. Due to the number and variety of official level engagements it is not possible to provide a detailed breakdown of these visits as the information could only be provided at disproportionate cost. Departmental visits to UK ports allow sufficient time for ministers and officials to observe port operations.

Southampton Port: Domestic Visits

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many and which (a) Ministers and (b) officials in his Department have visited the Port of Southampton in the last 12 months; when those visits took place; and how long they spent at the border in each of those visits.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: The Port of Southampton was last visited by a Department for Transport Minister when the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Transport, Nusrat Ghani MP, visited on 11 May 2018. Numerous officials from across the Department for Transport engage with and visit the Port of Southampton in the course of their duties. Due to the number and variety of official level engagements it is not possible to provide a detailed breakdown of these visits as the information could only be provided at disproportionate cost. Departmental visits to UK ports allow sufficient time for ministers and officials to observe port operations.

Rosyth Port: Domestic Visits

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many and which (a) Ministers and (b) officials in his Department have visited the Port of Rosyth in the last 12 months; when those visits took place; and how long they spent at the border in each of those visits.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: No ministers from the Department of Transport have visited the Port of Rosyth in the last 12 months as responsibility for policy matters relating to ports in Scotland, with the exception of port security, has been devolved to Scottish Ministers.

Cross Country Trains: Rolling Stock

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions he has had with representatives of CrossCountry trains on the replacement of rolling stock after the first batch of Voyager trains comes off lease next year.

Joseph Johnson: The Department has cancelled the Cross Country franchise competition in light of the Rail Review. It is now considering options for the next franchise once the current contract ends in October 2019, so passengers continue to get the services they need. The chosen option will address the need for suitable rolling stock.

Air Space

Mrs Sheryll Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the effect of changing Class E airspace to transponder mandatory zones on the operation of gliding clubs in the UK.

Mrs Sheryll Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of changing Class E airspace to transponder mandatory zones on access to airspace for general aviation traffic.

Jesse Norman: There has been no assessment of the potential impacts of changing Class E airspace to transponder mandatory zones. Any such assessments are a matter for the independent Civil Aviation Authority (CAA). However, as the Government continues to modernise our airspace, it needs to be mindful of longer term changes that will have an impact on wider airspace management. This includes the increasing need to enable the safe integration, rather than segregation, of all aircraft. This is why, as part of the Aviation Strategy, the department is working with the CAA to explore a new policy on mandating electronic identification for all users. All proposals to change the UK’s airspace design will need to be assessed according to the CAA’s own airspace change process which is set out in CAP1616. This includes the need to consult with all who may be affected by the proposal including members of the gliding community and other general aviation airspace users.

Public Transport: Deeside Industrial Park

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 25 October to Question 182105, if he will allocate funding (a) to accelerate the improvement in public transport links between Birkenhead and the Deeside Industrial Park and (b) for the provision of interim additional bus services between those destinations.

Jesse Norman: The provision of improved local public transport links between Birkenhead and the Deeside Industrial Park, including additional bus services, is an issue for the Liverpool City Region Mayoral Combined Authority, as local transport authority, to consider. The Government is providing significant funding to the Combined Authority to improve local transport through its Growth and Devolution Deals. In addition, the recent Budget increased the Metro Mayor’s Transforming Cities Fund allocation by £38.5 million to £172.5 million for investment in local sustainable transport priorities, including bus. Improvements to local rail links are included in the new Wales and Borders franchise let by the Welsh Government.

A540

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department has plans to undertake improvements to the A540 as part of the Road Investment Strategy 2.

Jesse Norman: The Road Investment Strategy focuses on the strategic road network operated by Highways England, which does not include the A540. This road is the responsibility of the local highway authority, and most Government funding for local roads improvements in this area comes from the Cheshire and Warrington Growth Deal, which is worth £201million over six years.

Roads: Capital Investment

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he plans to publish part two of the Road Investment Strategy.

Jesse Norman: The Department published the Draft Road Investment Strategy 2 which sets out its objectives and the financial resources available for the next Road Period (2020-25), alongside the Budget. The Government expects to publish the final Road Investment Strategy for the second Road Period (2020-25) in late 2019.

Department for Transport: Discrimination and Harassment

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department has a policy of zero tolerance of bullying, harassment and discrimination.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: The DfT Handbook includes the following statements: “DfT(C) is committed to creating and maintaining a working environment that is free from hostility, abuse, offensive behaviour, harassment, bullying, prejudice, discrimination and victimisation.”and“Acts of inappropriate behaviour will not be tolerated and may result in disciplinary action in accordance with the disciplinary procedures set out in [this handbook].”

Railways: Electrification

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the answer of 29 March 2018 to Question 134595 on Railways: Electrification, what the expected timetable is for introduction of new electric powered trains.

Joseph Johnson: A number of operators currently have orders that are being designed or manufactured and the table below shows when those operators plan to commence the introduction of new electric trains over the coming years. OperatorPlanned IntroductionTfL Elizabeth LineBeing IntroducedGreat WesternBeing IntroducedGreat NorthernBeing IntroducedNorthernEarly 2019London North Eastern RailwayEarly 2019London OvergroundEarly 2019TransPennine ExpressSummer 2019Greater AngliaAutumn 2019Hull TrainsLate 2019MerseyrailLate 2019South Western RailwayLate 2019West Midlands Trains2020/2021c2cLate 2021

Speed Limits

Stephen Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 20 December 2017 to Question 120798 on Speed Limits, when he plans to publish the final Atkins report on 20mph limit (signed only) zones; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, for what reasons the Atkins report on the effectiveness of 20mph speed limit (signed only) schemes has not yet been published.

Stephen Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions his Department has had since 2014 with (a) Atkins, (b) Aecom and (c) Professor Mike Maher on the research it commissioned on the effectiveness of 20mph speed limit (signed only) schemes.

Jesse Norman: The Department commissioned the three-year research project on the effectiveness of 20mph speed limit schemes in June 2014. The research project was subsequently extended to allow for the inclusion of an additional piece of research to compare speed data from 20mph roads with 30mph roads. Officials have had regular discussions and meetings throughout the research project with Atkins, Aecom and Professor Mike Maher, who were commissioned to carry out the research. The Department plans to publish the final report later this year.

Railways: Compensation

Royston Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many delay repay claims have been made by rail passengers since that scheme was introduced.

Joseph Johnson: The Department for Transport (DfT) does not hold records of how many delay repay claims have been made by rail passengers since that scheme was introduced. This information would be held by train operating companies (TOCs). However, DfT recently published (1 October) the compensation amounts paid by TOCs to passengers for delayed journeys since 2009. It shows the total amount of compensation paid to passengers has risen 80% in the past two years, as the government has increased the requirements of train operators to publicise passengers’ rights. [https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/train-operating-companies-passengers-charter-compensation]

Wolverhampton Station: Disability

Emma Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the level of access for disabled and partially sighted people at Wolverhampton Railway Station.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: The Inclusive Transport Strategy included a commitment to extend our Access for All programme (AfA) with an additional £300m of funding. The department has asked the industry to nominate stations for the new funding by 16 November this year. Nominated stations will be selected based on their annual footfall, weighted by the incidence of disability in the area. We will also take into account local factors such as proximity to a hospital or the availability of third party funding for the project. We will also ensure that there is a fair geographical spread of projects across the country. West Midland Train’s application to the AfA fund is going to come via the West Midlands Station’s Alliance. This is a unique arrangement where the Train Operating Company has come together with Network Rail and local government (in the form of the West Midlands Rail Executive) to improve the coordination between the various parties responsible for station assets. This includes better alignment of the incentives to invest in station enhancements.

Railway Stations: Disability

Emma Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what funding the Government makes available to (a) install step free access and (b) otherwise improve disabled access at train stations in England.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: The Inclusive Transport Strategy included a commitment to extend our Access for All programme across rail Control Period 6 (2019 to 2024) with an additional £300m of funding from the public purse. In addition, each of the franchised operators has around £100,000 to £600,000 to spend annually at stations to improve accessibility for disabled people at stations. Also, upgrades carried out under major projects and planned renewals work must meet current accessibility standards.

Railway Stations: Disability

Emma Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many stations in England (a) do and (b) do not have step free access; and if he will make a statement.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: Around 20% of stations in the UK have step free access to and between every platform, which accounts for approximately 75% of journeys. We remain committed to continuing to invest in the accessibility of the railway and have made an additional £300m available for our Access for All programme during the next five year Control Period (2019-24). Information on the facilities available at railway stations is collected and held by the Rail Delivery Group, rather than the Department. Accessibility information about individual stations is published on the National Rail Enquiries website.

Manchester-Sheffield Railway Line

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when his Department plans to deliver the funding promised to South Yorkshire to improve journey times along the Hope Valley Line.

Joseph Johnson: The Department for Transport (DfT) published a new approach to rail enhancements in March 2018. Full guidance on the RNEP can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/rail-network-enhancements-pipeline. This new approach to rail enhancements is designed to ensure that future rail projects are properly planned and scrutinised to deliver maximum value and benefit to rail users and taxpayers. The Department is updating the business case for the Hope Valley Capacity scheme to secure a ‘Decision to Deliver’.When we are in a position to announce a delivery date, it will be with the assurance that it is value for money and deliverable by that date. We anticipate being in that position within the next year.

Roads: Yorkshire and the Humber

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to page 65 of the Budget 2018 Red Book, what proportion of the £430 million to be allocated to road maintenance including potholes is planned to be spent in (a) Barnsley, (b) South Yorkshire and (c) Yorkshire and the Humber.

Jesse Norman: The Chancellor of the Exchequer announced in the Budget 2018 that a further £420 million was being made available to local highway authorities in England, outside London, to maintain their local road network, including the repair of potholes. The Department will shortly publish details of the individual funding allocations we are making available. This funding is in addition to just over £6 billion the Department is allocating to highway authorities for local highway maintenance from 2015 to 2021.

Regional Airports: Security

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made on the effect of the standard three security equipment on the financial viability of regional airports.

Jesse Norman: The safety and security of the travelling public is a top priority. When developing aviation security measures for UK airports, the Department for Transport carefully balances operational considerations with the need to ensure high security standards at all airports. These are proportionate to the threat regardless of where airports are located within the UK.

Cycling: Road Traffic Offences

Sir Desmond Swayne: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what representations he has received on extending the scope of his consultation on cycling offences; and if he will make a statement.

Jesse Norman: There has been a campaign in response to the consultation on cycling offences for a wider review of the law in relation to driving offences and the framework of sentencing with currently over 8,000 campaign replies. The consultation closes 5 November when all responses to the consultation will be analysed.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Germany: Thalidomide

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions the Government has had with the German government on broadening access for other Europeans to its thalidomide fund.

Sir Alan Duncan: The Government is sympathetic to the care needs of UK Thalidomide survivors, who continue to benefit from the £80 million grant, to be paid over 10 years, which was announced by the Department of Health in 2012.The FCO has helped the Thalidomide Trust to make its own representations to the German Government regarding the possibility of payments for UK Thalidomide survivors. I met representatives of the Trust to discuss this on several occasions. I raised the issue with my German counterpart Michael Roth on 9 July and with the German Ambassador on 23 July, to whom I handed a letter from Simon Hoare MP to Chancellor Merkel on behalf of the House of Commons All Party Thalidomide Group. In response to these representations, the German government has confirmed that UK Thalidomide victims are eligible to apply for compensation from the Contergan Foundation.I hope to continue discussions with the German government on how it might be made easier for UK survivors to apply for these funds when I visit Berlin later this month.

China: Muslims

Ms Marie Rimmer: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the accuracy of reports that Uighur Muslims in China have been detained for unwanted blood, tissue and DNA tests.

Mark Field: We have serious concerns about the human rights situation in Xinjiang and reports of the Chinese Government’s deepening crackdown, including credible reports of re-education camps and widespread surveillance and restrictions targeted at ethnic minorities. We are aware of media reports that some Uyghurs may have been subject to unwanted DNA tests.The UK supports the statement of 26 October by the European External Action Service highlighting concerns about Xinjiang.I raised our concerns about Xinjiang with Vice Minister Guo Yezhou during my visit to China on 22 July 2018. The Foreign Secretary, Rt Hon Jeremy Hunt MP, also raised our concerns about the region with Chinese State Councillor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi during his visit to China on 30 July 2018. The UK raised our concerns about Xinjiang in our Item 4 statement at the September UN Human Rights Council.

Sri Lanka: Armed Conflict

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to his Sri Lankan counterpart on protecting the Tamil minority during the current political unrest in that country.

Mark Field: ​I am deeply concerned by the developing political situation in Sri Lanka. The FCO has called on all parties to ensure that the constitution is respected and due political and legal process upheld. I have urged the President on 29 October, in consultation with the Speaker, to reconvene parliament immediately to give the democratically elected representatives of the Sri Lankan people their voice.The UK is committed to the full implementation of UN Human Rights Council Resolution 34/1, under which Sri Lanka committed to implement a range of measures to provide for human rights, truth-seeking and reconciliation following the end of its civil war. I encouraged Foreign Minister Marapana, officials and others to continue to make progress on these commitments when I visited Colombo in October 2018. Our High Commission in Sri Lanka regularly travel to the North and East and meet with local groups, and where we have specific human rights concerns we raise these with the Sri Lankan government.

Bahrain: Human Rights

Dame Louise Ellman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent representations he has made to his Bahraini counterpart on human rights violations in that country; and if he will make a statement.

Alistair Burt: The UK and Bahrain enjoy an open dialogue where we are able to discuss a range of issues, including human rights.During my visit to Bahrain 26-28 October I had a range of bilateral meetings with Bahraini interlocutors and covered many issues, including human rights.

Israel: Bedouin

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has held with the Palestinian Authority on the planned demolition of the Palestinian village of Khan al-Ahmar.

Alistair Burt: We regularly discuss this issue with Palestinian Authority representatives. I visited Khan al-Ahmar on 30 May, and on 12 June issued a video message emphasising the UK’s concern at the village’s imminent demolition. Our Consul General in Jerusalem most recently visited on 11 September to assess the situation on the ground and demonstrate UK support for the community. Officials from the Consulate-General in Jerusalem visited the community again on 1 October.Officials from our Embassy in Tel Aviv have repeatedly raised our concerns about demolitions with Israeli Ministers and senior officials, and urged them to cease the counter-productive policy of demolitions, and provide a clear, transparent route to construction for Palestinians in Area C.

Cameroon: Diplomatic Relations

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what consular support his Department is offering to civilians in (a) Cameroon and (b) the Anglophone Region of Cameroon.

Harriett Baldwin: The FCO provides consular assistance to British Nationals overseas. We do not normally offer consular assistance to dual British nationals who are in the country of their other nationality unless we consider that the individual is vulnerable and we have humanitarian concerns.Our travel advice to Cameroon is kept under constant review. The promotion and protection of human rights in Cameroon remains an objective of the British Government and we remain concerned by the situation in the Anglophone regions. It is vital that urgent steps are taken to reduce the violence and create a meaningful process of national dialogue to address the core issues.

Cameroon: Corruption

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of trends in (a) the misuse of public funds and (b) other corrupt practices undertaken by the Government of Cameroon.

Harriett Baldwin: The British Government is concerned by reports of widespread corruption in Cameroon as documented by the National Anti-corruption Commission (CONAC), Cameroon's anti-corruption agency. We work with a wide range of stakeholders including CONAC, the Government of Cameroon and the private sector to support transparency and improve the business climate for all investors. Corruption undermines the rule of law and democracy, corrodes the fabric of society, deters private sector investment, and creates barriers to doing business. Our Embassies, High Commissions and Consulates, including in Cameroon, continue to be active in supporting the effective implementation of the UK 2011 Bribery Act.

Saudi Arabia: Conferences

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 18 October 2018 to Question 179180 on Saudi Arabia: Conferences, whether representatives of the UK Government attended the future investment initiative conference in Riyadh.

Alistair Burt: As the Prime Minister said on Wednesday 24 October, no Ministers or government officials attended the Future Investment Initiative Conference.

Sri Lanka: Politics and Government

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether the Government recognises (a) Ranil Wickramasinghe and his Cabinet or (b) Mahinda Rajapaksa and his Cabinet as the Prime Minister and Government of Sri Lanka.

Mark Field: It is our position that we recongnise states not governments. Naturally the FCO is deeply concerned by the political situation in Sri Lanka. I have called on all parties to ensure that the constitution is respected and due political and legal process upheld. On 29 October I made a public statement urging the President, in consultation with the Speaker, to reconvene parliament immediately to give the democratically elected representatives of the Sri Lankan people their voice.

Sri Lanka: Conflict, Stability and Security Fund

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether any funds allocated to Sri Lanka between 2016 and 2019 through the Conflict Stability and Security Fund have been withdrawn because of human rights concerns.

Mark Field: ​We have not withdrawn any funding to Sri Lanka due to human rights concerns between 2016-19. All funding provided to Sri Lanka through the Conflict, Stability, and Security Fund is designed to support reconciliation, the rule of law and improved human rights, and we are committed to supporting the rebuilding of the country following its long civil conflict. In August I announced an additional £1m funding through the Conflict, Stability and Security Fund (CSSF) to support the resettlement of families displaced by war in the north and east of Sri Lanka. In total the UK is providing Sri Lanka with £7.9 million of Conflict, Stability and Security Fund funding over three years (2016-2019), including support for police reform, reconciliation and peace building, and demining in the north of the country.

Saudi Arabia: Arms Trade

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether it is his policy to support the governments of (a) Germany and (b) France on the potential merits of a coordinated European position on arms sales to Saudi Arabia for use in the Yemen conflict.

Alistair Burt: We are not aware of specific French or German proposals. The EU already has an agreed framework for export licensing in the form of the EU Common Position. We are confident that our assessment of export licence applications for Saudi Arabia is consistent with the EU Common Position. We believe that the EU Common Position provides a robust and adequate framework for assessing the potential risks around arms sales, including in the context of the Yemen conflict. The Government will not approve any licence where we assess there is a clear risk that the items might be used in the commission of a serious violation of international humanitarian law.

Burma: Rohingya

Jim McMahon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, when the Government held its most recent discussions with the Government of Myanmar on the Rohingya crisis and status of refugees in Bangladesh.

Mark Field: The Foreign Secretary met with Burmese State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi on 20 September in Burma and raised the importance of the safe, voluntary and dignified return of refugees to Rakhine State, and ensuring those responsible for human rights violations are held to account. I spoke with the Burmese Minister for International Cooperation Kyaw Tin on 1 November and stressed the UK's serious concern at the 30 October announcement of the Governments of Burma and Bangladesh that refugee repatriation would commence in mid-November. I made clear the UK's assessment, that conditions in Rakhine State were not currently conducive to refugee returns.

Asia Bibi

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on the granting of asylum to Asia Bibi following her acquital of the charge of blasphemy.

Mark Field: Asia Bibi’s acquittal will be very welcome news to her family and those who have campaigned in Pakistan and around the world for her release. We are closely monitoring the situation and developments. The UK’s position on the death penalty in all circumstances and in all countries is well-known, we call for its abolition globally.​

South Africa: Farmers

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to his South African counterpart on the provision of justice as a result of the attacks on South African farmers.

Harriett Baldwin: The Foreign Secretary has not raised this issue directly with his counterpart.South African Government policy is to address all criminal activity with equal concern and without preferential treatment being afforded to any race or group. Our High Commission in South Africa raises issues of concern with the South African authorities where necessary, in particular where UK nationals are involved.

Ukraine: Aviation

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 29 October 2018 to Question 183520 on Ukraine: aviation, when he last communicated with the families of the victims of flight MH17; and if he will ensure that those families are updated on the progress of that investigation.

Sir Alan Duncan: We have continued to provide consular support to the families of the victims of flight MH17. We have remained in close contact with the Dutch authorities throughout the investigation into the shooting down of MH17. The Dutch authorities are providing updates directly to UK police family liaison officers to pass to the families. They did so most recently in early October.

Department for International Development

Developing Countries: Asbestos

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking to help developing countries dispose of asbestos waste safely.

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps she is taking to support programmes to ensure the safe disposal of asbestos waste in countries in the Global South.

Harriett Baldwin: The Department for International Development supports the management of hazardous waste through the Global Environment Facility. The Department for International Development does not currently provide bilateral support to help developing countries dispose of asbestos waste safely.

Central America: Immigrants

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what discussions she has had with her (a) US and (b) Mexican counterparts on the provision of aid for migrants travelling north from Central America through Mexico.

Alistair Burt: There have been no specific discussions. Officials are monitoring the situation.

Rohingya: Refugees

Kate Osamor: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, with reference to the recent announcement from the governments of Myanmar and Bangladesh that Rohingya refugees will start to be returned from Bangladesh in November 2018, what assurances her Department has sought from the Government of Myanmar on ensuring that conditions are safe for the Rohingya people to return to Myanmar.

Penny Mordaunt: We are deeply concerned that Bangladesh and Burma have announced that they plan to begin repatriation of the Rohingya to Burma in mid-November. We agree with the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) that the conditions for returns do not yet exist. The UK continues to raise our concerns at the highest levels with both military and civilian Ministers in the Government of Burma. The UK and the UN Security Council have been clear, we want both Burma and Bangladesh to take solid and constructive steps to create the conditions that will allow the Rohingya to return safely, voluntarily and with dignity to Rakhine state. The Rohingya need to be well-informed about the situation they may return to, and there needs to be independent international monitoring of any returns.

Burma: Rohingya

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that the Rohingya community is party to negotiations on the repatriation of that community.

Alistair Burt: We are concerned at the intention of Bangladesh and Burma governments to begin returns to Rakhine State by mid-November. We have stated publicly that we agree with the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) that the conditions for safe and dignified returns do not yet exist. The access required for necessary independent monitoring by UN agencies is also not in place.   Any returns must be voluntary and informed. UNHCR is engaging with the Rohingya community in Bangladesh to understand their views about returning to Rakhine State. This includes information on likely conditions to which refugees would return.

Palestinians: Politics and Government

Joan Ryan: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, with reference to her Department's Memorandum of Understanding with the Palestinian Authority (PA), what discussions her Department has had with the PA on the assertion reported on 19 October 2018 on official PA TV, that Jews didn't learn from what Hitler did to them.

Alistair Burt: The UK strongly condemns any language or actions that could stir up hatred and prejudice. Our sustained support to the Palestinian Authority (PA) is underpinned by a Memorandum of Understanding which requires the PA to commit to the principle of non-violence and to tackle language and avoid actions that could incite violence or hatred. The UK continues to urge the Palestinian leadership to uphold this principle. President Abbas restated his commitment to the two-state solution on September 27 at the UN General Assembly, and through our financial assistance, the UK will continue to support a stable PA which can act as an effective partner for peace with Israel.

Department for Education

Teachers: Pay

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of teachers are on the (a) main, (b) upper, and (c) leadership pay scales in (i) the UK, (ii) each region of the UK and (iii) in each local authority.

Nick Gibb: Holding answer received on 29 October 2018



The attached table provides the number and proportion of full and part-time regular teachers in service in state funded schools who are paid on the (a) main, (b) upper and (c) leadership pay ranges in each region, in each local authority and in England in November 2017. Within the table, the ‘Other’ column includes the leading practitioners[1] and unqualified teachers[2] pay ranges and the ‘Unknown’ column relates to invalid codes entered by schools during the collection process that were not amended by the schools after being identified as invalid.Figures for Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland are a matter for the devolved administrations. [1] Leading practitioners are qualified teachers who are employed in posts that the relevant body has determined have the primary purpose of modelling and leading improvement of teaching skills. [2] Unqualified teachers are teachers who are not a qualified teacher and who is prescribed by Order under section 122(5) of the Act as a school teacher for the purposes of that section. 



number_and_proportion_of_teachers_table
(PDF Document, 587.77 KB)

Special Educational Needs: Hearing Impairment

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 16 October 2018 to Question 176533 on Pupils: Hearing Impairment, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the number of teachers of the deaf in (a) Edgbaston constituency, (b) the West Midlands and (c) England.

Nadhim Zahawi: No specific assessment has been made of the numbers and roles of teachers of the deaf in the Edgbaston constituency, the West Midlands or England. It is for local authorities to determine how they allocate their resources to meet the needs of their residents most effectively, including through the provision of specialist services for the children and young people with a hearing impairment. In addition, the Department for Education is funding the whole school special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) consortium to deliver a two-year programme of work to build the skills of teachers and to equip schools to identify and meet their training needs in relation to SEND, including for children and young people with hearing impairment.

Personal, Social, Health and Economic Education: Curriculum

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to his Department's press release of 19 July 2018, New relationships and health education in schools, what progress his Department is making on implementing compulsory health education in schools by September 2020.

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what training will be provided for new and existing teachers to ensure that they can deliver the new relationships and health education in schools announced in July 2018; and whether he plans to allocate extra resources for that training.

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what training and resources will be provided for senior leadership teams in schools to ensure (a) priority for and (b) a whole school approach to the new relationships and health education in schools announced in July 2018.

Nick Gibb: The consultation on the draft guidance and regulations for Relationships Education, Relationships and Sex Education and Health Education closes on 7 November 2018. The draft statutory guidance sets out the core content that primary and secondary schools should teach.The Department is also seeking views through the consultation on what support schools will need to deliver these subjects. In addition, the Department is working with stakeholders, including unions and expert organisations to help determine the appropriate school support.The consultation can be found via this link: https://consult.education.gov.uk/pshe/relationships-education-rse-health-education/. Once the consultation period is complete, the Department expect to lay regulations in spring 2019.

Schools: Inspections

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans he has to ensure that Ofsted school inspections include an assessment of pupil wellbeing and mental health; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Gibb: Pupils’ personal development, behaviour and welfare, which includes aspects of mental health, is one of four core graded judgements made as part of Ofsted school inspections. The Department is engaging with Ofsted as it develops proposals for new inspection arrangements. Ofsted intends to consult on its proposals in January 2019.

Pupils: Health

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the Prime Minister’s announcement of 10 October 2018 during the Downing Street reception to mark World Mental Health Day that the Government will provide schools with an approved framework which can help them with measuring all aspects of their students’ health, including mental wellbeing, what progress his Department is making on developing that framework; and when he plans to publish that framework.

Nick Gibb: Schools can make a real difference to the mental wellbeing of their pupils, which is why it is already a priority for many schools. Tools already exist that schools can use to measure pupil wellbeing, but they often find it difficult to determine the appropriate resource. The Department is developing a guide which schools can use as a framework to discuss their pupils’ wellbeing. This will also support teachers and the new designated mental health leads to take steps to boost good mental health in their school.

Special Educational Needs: Finance

Thelma Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of the criteria used to determine the level of need in the allocation of high needs funding.

Nick Gibb: High needs funding allocations for individual pupils is determined by local authorities in consultation with their schools and families. In most cases, high needs funding will be allocated following a statutory education, health and care needs assessment.Following extensive consultation, the high needs national funding formula allocates funding to local authorities through a set of proxy factors. Further information on these factors can be found in the consultation document at: https://consult.education.gov.uk/funding-policy-unit/high-needs-funding-reform-2/.

Special Educational Needs: Hearing Impairment

Thelma Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 22 October 2018 to Question 180286 on Children: Hearing Impairments, what extensive support his Department has provided to schools to deliver the best value possible with available resources.

Nadhim Zahawi: The department has launched a Supporting School Resource Management strategy which provides schools with practical advice on savings that can be made on the £10 billion non-staffing spend spent across England last year. This outlines the extensive support we are providing for schools and includes support and guidance to schools and academies to improve how they buy goods and services. For example:- The financial benchmarking service, which allows schools to compare their performance and use of resources with other, similar schools, and also comparisons between academy trusts.- Recommended deals that are helping schools to save money on the things they buy regularly, such as printers and photocopiers.- A new deal to support schools with getting value for money when hiring supply teachers and other agency workers.- Regional Schools Buying Hubs pilots in the North West and South West, providing hands-on support and advice to schools on complex procurement.- A free teacher vacancy listing website to support recruitment needs and drive down recruitment costs is currently in pilot phase.- Encouraging schools to integrate their curriculum and financial planning to inform decision making on the deployment of teaching staff.- School Resource Management Advisers (SRMAs). These sector experts work with schools and trusts to provide tailored advice on how to make best use of their revenue and capital resources to deliver educational outcomes. The SRMA pilot started at the end of January 2018 and completed some 70 deployments by the end of the 2017/18 academic year. SRMAs will be deployed in larger scale in the 2018/19 academic year.

Special Educational Needs: Hearing Impairment

Thelma Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 22 October 2018 to Question 180286 on Children: Hearing Impairments, if he will publish the findings from his Department’s monitoring of the impact of the national funding formula on high needs.

Nadhim Zahawi: The department published Section 251 budget data for 2018-19, detailing the planned spend by local authorities on high needs, in September 2018. This can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/section-251-2018-to-2019#section-251-budget-data.

Vocational Guidance: North East

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the letter sent to the hon. Member for Bishop Auckland, dated 7 October 2018, if he will publish the names of the nine FE colleges and the single sixth form college that will be included in the careers hub in the North East.

Anne Milton: The details of all schools and colleges included in Careers Hubs will be published on The Careers & Enterprise Company website in January 2019. The Further Education colleges and sixth form that will be included in the North East hub are:Northumberland College.Newcastle College.Derwentside College.Gateshead College.City of Sunderland College.East Durham College.Tyne Coast College.Bishop Auckland College.New College Durham.Durham Sixth Form Centre.

T-levels

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether his Department has plans to (a) run a public awareness campaign, and (b) allocate funding to increase the level of understanding of (i) employers and (ii)  learners on the different grades that learners are able to gain in the component parts of a T Level.

Anne Milton: Our T level communications campaign will launch in 2019, ensuring that parents, teachers, students and the wider public know about T levels and where they fit among other choices after GCSEs. The campaign will be extended over time as T levels are rolled out more widely. We are working closely with the 2020 providers on this campaign, which will include resources to support regional communications.We have provided £5 million to the National Apprenticeship Service, who have widened their remit to provide an advice and support service for employers, which includes raising awareness and promoting the benefits of T levels and industry placements to employers.Information about the grading system for the component parts of T levels was confirmed in the government’s response to the T level consultation in May this year. We recognise the need to promote awareness and understanding of this as part of our communications to students, parents and employers.

T-levels

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that adequate numbers of T Level industry placements are made available in the required (a) sectors and (b) locations.

Anne Milton: The department is keen to ensure that all T level students will have access to high quality industry placements. The consultation on T levels, held earlier this year, asked how we can support all students to access industry placements relevant to their course in areas where there are not employers to offer industry placements nearby.Feedback from the consultation and the industry placement pilot scheme last year helped identify what support is needed. We have provided nearly £60 million during this academic year to help post-16 providers to build their capacity to deliver industry placements in advance of T level roll-out. We are also working with the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs to understand how students in rural, coastal and remote areas can access industry placements.We are also carrying out extensive stakeholder engagement across different challenging industries to ensure that industry placement policy generates placements that are meaningful and reflective of current industry practice, which will help to widen access to T levels in all parts of the country.

Teachers: Pay

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 29 October 2018 to Question 183451 on Teachers: Pay, what estimate he has made of the number of schools that will receive funding that will not exactly match their costs in funding the difference between a one per cent pay rise and the 2018 pay award under the Teachers' Pay Grant.

Nick Gibb: The Department’s reforms have given schools more flexibility regarding pay and therefore the cost of implementing the 2018 pay award for an individual school will depend on the choices made by schools. It will be determined by decisions about structure and pay that they have made in previous years, and decisions they will make about their staffing for the 2018/19 academic year.As such, it is not possible to calculate the exact amount of funding each school will spend in implementing the pay award.

Health Education: Donors

Colleen Fletcher: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he plans to take to improve secondary school pupils' understanding of (a) organ, (b) blood and (c) stem cell donation.

Colleen Fletcher: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, for what reasons stem cell donation is not included alongside organ and blood donation in the Government's draft statutory guidance on health education for secondary school pupils.

Nick Gibb: The Government is proposing to introduce compulsory Health Education, alongside Relationships Education and Relationships and Sex Education, and is currently consulting on draft regulations and draft statutory guidance on the subjects. Under the topic of physical health and fitness, the draft guidance specifies that pupils should know the facts about wider issues, using organ and blood donation as examples. The Department is considering feedback, including on teaching about stem cell donation, through the consultation process and may revise the guidance as appropriate. The consultation closes on 7 November 2018.

Primary Education: Nurseries

Tracy Brabin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many (a) nurseries, (b) childminders and (c) nursery classes based in primary schools he has visited since his appointment.

Nadhim Zahawi: My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education has visited, since his appointment on 8 January 2018, five nurseries, and has spent time meeting nursery children and teachers during four primary school visits. He has not yet visited any childminders.

Teachers: Training

Tracy Brabin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many graduates in paid employment in an early years setting who undertake training to achieve the Teachers’ Standards (Early Years) have accessed (a) grant funding, (b) employer incentive and (c) both grant funding and employer incentive in each year since that policy was introduced.

Nadhim Zahawi: The number of employment-based early years trainees for whom the department provided early years initial teacher training (ITT) funding in academic years 2016/17 and 2017/18 is as follows:Academic yearNumber of early years ITT trainees2016/174512017/18431 For all trainees shown above, both the training grant and employer incentive was provided.We are unable to provide any data collected prior to the academic year 2016/17. A review of early years ITT data found that prior to the academic year 2016/17, data was not collected with sufficient quality to produce high quality statistics. Further information about this and the subsequent actions put in place by the department, can be found in the ‘Data collection and quality’ section of the ITT Census 2017/18, found here at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/initial-teacher-training-trainee-number-census-2017-to-2018.

Teachers: Qualifications

Tracy Brabin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many individuals employed in early years settings have achieved level 3 qualifications in each of the last five years.

Nadhim Zahawi: We do not centrally collect the data requested. However, the number of workers with qualifications at various levels is published in our ‘Childcare and early years providers surveys’ at:   https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/childcare-and-early-years-providers-survey-2016. https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/childcare-and-early-years-providers-survey-2013. The 2018 survey is due to be published on 1 November 2018.

Universities: Freedom of Expression

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the oral contribution of the Minister for Universities, Science, Research and Innovation, of 17 May 2018, Official Report, column 241WH, what information his Department holds on the (a) number of speaking events blocked by a university or students’ union, (b) books removed from university libraries and (c) changes to courses due to changes in equalities guidance.

Mr Sam Gyimah: ​The information requested is not held centrally. The department does not collect data on the number of speaking events blocked by a University or Students’ Union, books removed from university libraries and changes to courses due to changes in equalities guidance ​As set out in a statement on 17 May, we do not believe that measuring free speech on campus by events that happen is sufficient, as this does not evidence self-censorship or those events that do not happen in the first place. We are committed to defending free speech on campus to avoid a culture of censorship which risks leading to those outcomes to which the question refers. Comprehensive guidance on Freedom of Speech for the higher education sector is due to be published by the end of the year.

Higher Education: Children in Care

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is taking to widen access to university for children who have been in care.

Mr Sam Gyimah: I want to ensure that all care leavers with the potential to benefit from higher education are encouraged to apply. Guidance issued by the Office for Students (OfS) to universities on completing access and participation plans identifies care leavers as a key target group whose needs their plans should address. Last week, we launched the Care Leaver Covenant, which will provide a way for organisations from the public, private and voluntary sectors – including universities – to set out what support they provide to care leavers.Universities are being asked to work with children in care and care leavers, to encourage them to apply and to provide them with additional support through the application process. A number of universities have already signed the covenant, including Leeds, Liverpool and Bradford; and we will continue to work closely with the OfS to encourage all universities to sign it.

Student Loans Company: Public Appointments

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the appointment process was for the chief executive of the Student Loans Company.

Mr Sam Gyimah: The Chief Executive of the Student Loans Company (SLC) is an appointment for the SLC Board, which is approved by the Secretary of State for Education.As part of the recruitment process, the candidates were subjected to a full interview (with panel members consisting of SLC representatives, a Department for Education representative, and an independent panel member). In addition they were subjected to psychometric, numeracy and verbal reasoning tests; a psychologist interview and evaluation; a staff panel interview; social media checks and full reference checks.

Student Loans Company: Social Media

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the appropriateness of the Student Loans Company gathering evidence from applicants' social media as part of its loan approval process.

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions his Department has had with the Student Loans Company on the parameters of that company's gathering of evidence from applicants' social media as part of its loan approval process.

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions his Department has had with the Office for Students on the effect on student protections of the Student Loans Company gathering evidence from applicants' social media as part of its loan approval process.

Mr Sam Gyimah: The Student Loans Company (SLC) does not gather evidence from applicants' social media as part of its standard loan approval process. The SLC operates extensive controls to reduce the risk of fraud, and from time to time SLC checks publicly available information, including publicly available information on applicants’ social media, as part of counter fraud and audit measures. This is a proportionate and effective way of detecting and preventing certain types of fraud. In September, a representative of the Office for Students attended a meeting of the SLC’s Vulnerable Students Stakeholder Group, of which the department is a member, to discuss the way in which these checks are carried out.

Schools: Finance

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Prime Minister's oral contribution of 31 October 2018, Official Report, what the evidential basis is for the Prime Minister's statement that £1.4 billion of additional funding was committed to schools in this financial year.

Nick Gibb: The core schools budget in 2017-18 was almost £41 billion. This budget rose to £42.4 billion in 2018-19. This means that in 2018-19, the department will be spending £1.4 billion more through the core schools budget than in 2017-18.

Further Education: Capital Investment

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of extending the £475 million for schools capital funding in his 2018 Autumn Budget to FE Colleges.

Anne Milton: The Department for Education has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Church Commissioners

Clergy: Carers

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Right Honourable Member for Meriden, representing the Church Commissioners, how women in ministry are being supported with eldercare and parental care.

Dame Caroline Spelman: All ministers on common tenure – whether women or men - have the right to request time off work or adjustments to be made to the duties of their office in order to care for a dependant. As clergy office holders do not have defined hours of work, they already have greater flexibility than most employees over how they carry out their duties, which can often enable them to carry out their duties whilst caring for dependants without the need to request time off or adjustments.As office holders, clergy are responsible for arranging their own cover while they are absent for any reason, (although the area dean or a member of the Bishop’s staff may assist clergy to arrange such cover where necessary). Support for caring for dependants and assistance with cover is not provided for centrally, as arrangements for this are best made locally – whether within the parish, or arranged with the assistance of the area dean or archdeacon. The Church Commissioners do not, therefore, have details of the level of support provided locally.Women clergy are also supported at diocesan level by Deans of Women’s Ministry whose role is to promote the full inclusion of women in their diocese at every level of church life. As well as supporting female clergy with caring responsibilities, they are advocates for the ministry of women clergy in the diocese, listen to ordained women, identify the gifts, skills and potential among women clergy, and encourage these to be developed, used and fulfilled.

Clergy: Carers

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Right Honourable Member for Meriden, representing the Church Commissioners, whether women in ministry with caring responsibilities are in receipt of their full stipend.

Dame Caroline Spelman: The Church Commissioners do not have details of how many clergy have asked for time off or adjustments, or the level of support for caring for dependants and assistance with cover, as arrangements for this are best made locally – whether within the parish, or arranged with the assistance of the area dean or archdeacon.Since office holders do not report on the number or arrangement of the hours they work in performance of their duties of office, it is not known how many clergy women (and men) take advantage of this flexibility to care for their dependants whilst holding full time offices and receiving full stipend.All clergy (women and men) holding office on Common Tenure have a legal right to make a formal request for time off, or for adjustments to their duties of office, to care for a dependant. The latest statistics show that there were 330 women and 310 men in part-time stipendiary clergy roles at the end of 2017. It is likely that a full time stipendiary office holder who makes a request for their duties of office to be permanently adjusted to part-time in order to care for a dependant would receive a corresponding reduction in stipend. The decision as to whether an office holder receives full stipend during any formally requested time off to care for a dependant is made by the bishop on a case by case basis. The Bishop may grant special leave (usually on compassionate grounds)during which office holders usually receive their full stipend.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Rabies: Blood Tests

Andrea Jenkyns: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans he has to bring forward proposals to reintroduce a requirement for a rabies blood test and wait period in order to regulate pet travel and commercial pet movements after the UK leaves the EU.

David Rutley: Defra takes the threat to public and animal health posed by animals entering the United Kingdom (UK) very seriously and requires rabies vaccination for pet animals (cats, dogs and ferrets) entering the country, as well as other high risk species entering zoos or pets destined for the pet trade. Pet travel between EU member states and from some other lower risk third countries requires a rabies vaccination followed by a 21 day waiting period. A quantitative risk assessment was carried out in 2011, which assessed the risk of a pet animal with rabies entering the UK under the EU Pet Travel Scheme (PTS) as very low. Defra continues to monitor the disease situation but has no plans to introduce a requirement for a rabies antibody titration test. For third countries with higher rabies risk, stricter rules do apply involving a rabies antibody titration test and waiting period. When the UK leaves the EU it will be a third country for the purposes of the EU Pet Travel Scheme (PTS). On 24 September 2018 a Technical Notice ‘Taking your pet abroad if there’s no Brexit deal’ was published. For pet animals entering the UK from the EU we propose that we maintain the current pet travel entry health requirements after exit though additional controls could be considered at a later date. This would mean that the UK government is not introducing any new requirement immediately following EU exit. The notice advised that should the UK become an unlisted third country under PTS pet owners intending to travel with their pet from the UK to EU countries would need to prove animals are effectively vaccinated against rabies before they could travel with their pet to EU countries. This would require a blood titre test to demonstrate sufficient levels of rabies antibody. Once a blood titre test shows sufficient levels of antibody, there would need to be a three-month waiting period between the date the blood sample is taken and the date of travel.Defra is working with a range of stakeholders to review the risks to animal health and welfare that illegal imports of dogs pose, and are considering a range of possible long-term measures to tackle these risks.

Forests: Conservation

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to protect ancient woodlands.

David Rutley: The Government is committed to securing stronger protection for our ancient woodland, as recognised in our manifesto commitments and our 25 Year Environment Plan. The special status of ancient woodland, ancient trees and veteran trees is reflected in the recently published National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) which strengthens protections, recognising their value and irreplaceable nature. The NPPF states that development resulting in the loss or deterioration of irreplaceable habitats (such as ancient woodland and ancient or veteran trees) should be refused, unless there are wholly exceptional reasons and a suitable compensation strategy exists. The accompanying National Planning Policy Guidance (NPPG) will be published shortly. Natural England are currently working with stakeholders, including the Forestry Commission and the Woodland Trust, to update the ancient woodlands inventory (AWI) in order to comprehensively locate these precious habitats. Further, planning authorities are required to consult the Natural England and Forestry Commission ‘standing advice’ on ancient woodland and veteran trees when determining planning applications that may affect such habitats.

Bovine Tuberculosis: Cumbria

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what definition is used by his Department for the minimum annual control that is required on the licence to cull badgers in Cumbria; and what the reason is that the Cumbrian licence requirements is the only license issued in September 2018 that does not include minimum and maximum numbers of badgers to be culled.

George Eustice: The definition of minimum annual control is provided on the Cumbria authorisation letter:(https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/739750/area-32-cumbria-tb-area-control-licence-redacted.pdf). The aim of badger culling in the Low Risk Area is to remove all potentially infected badgers as quickly as possible, in order to remove infection before it has a chance to spread widely in badgers in the area. Therefore, surveillance during a cull is of greater use to determine the remaining population. The Bern Secretariat have been informed of the Guidance to Natural England on requirements for badger control in the Low Risk Area of England. The cull area in Cumbria is 0.3% of the Low Risk Area and Natural England did not set a maximum number of badgers to be removed. The guidance to Natural England can be found on Gov.uk at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/guidance-to-natural-england-preventing-spread-of-bovine-tb

Bovine Tuberculosis: Cumbria

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether a population estimate has been conducted to determine how many badgers need to be culled in Cumbria to meet his Department's tests on reducing bovine TB in cattle herds (a) without causing local extinction and (b) by removing 70 per cent of the badger population.

George Eustice: The definition of minimum annual control is provided on the Cumbria authorisation letter:(https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/739750/area-32-cumbria-tb-area-control-licence-redacted.pdf). The aim of badger culling in the Low Risk Area is to remove all potentially infected badgers as quickly as possible, in order to remove infection before it has a chance to spread widely in badgers in the area. Therefore, surveillance during a cull is of greater use to determine the remaining population. The Bern Secretariat have been informed of the Guidance to Natural England on requirements for badger control in the Low Risk Area of England. The cull area in Cumbria is 0.3% of the Low Risk Area and Natural England did not set a maximum number of badgers to be removed. The guidance to Natural England can be found on Gov.uk at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/guidance-to-natural-england-preventing-spread-of-bovine-tb

Bovine Tuberculosis: Cumbria

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many cattle that failed the skin test tested positive on the gamma interferon test in Cumbria in 2017.

George Eustice: In 2017 a total of 6,718 gamma tests were carried out in Cumbria (27 submissions from 14 separate CPHs). Of these, 201 skin-test-negative animals were gamma-test-positive.

Recycling

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he plans to provide additional funds to local authorities to help them better carry out their recycling obligations.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: Councils play a central role in achieving high recycling rates and we want to see them provide comprehensive waste and recycling collection services that have the support of local householders. We have provided local government with over £200 billion for this spending period and while councils make their own spending decisions, we would expect them to prioritise what they do to deliver what their residents want to see and to ensure good waste management practice. The government has also announced in the Budget a fund of £20 million to tackle plastic waste and boost recycling. It also announced measures to place a tax on packaging that does not contain enough recycled content. The government will consult shortly on these measures and measures to reform producer responsibility. Future revenues raised from these will enable investment to address single use plastics, waste and litter to meet the government’s ambitions for resources, waste and recycling.

Buses: Exhaust Emissions

Jim McMahon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will support the recommendation in the Greater Manchester clean air plan to replace all buses that are not compliant with clean air standards; and if he will make a statement

Dr Thérèse Coffey: When the Government receives the Great Manchester Clean Air Plan, it will be able to assess its proposals. We have committed £495 million for local authorities to implement and mitigate their plans. In addition to the £88.9 million invested in new greener buses via the Green Bus Scheme, including £19.6 million for Manchester, and a further £41 million invested in low emission buses via the Low Emission Bus Scheme, we have committed an additional £48 million for the Ultra-Low Emission Bus Scheme. We expect to announce the successful bidders in due course.

Angling: Tourism

Lloyd Russell-Moyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment has his Department made of the effect of commercial fishing regulations on the tourism fishing sector.

George Eustice: No assessment has been made by the Department of the effect of commercial fishing regulations on the tourism fishing sector. Defra has funded studies on participation rates, catches, and the economic and social benefits of sea angling, which are focussed on resident rather than tourist sea anglers. The largest study, Sea Angling 2012, can be found at http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20140305101647/http://www.marinemanagement.org.uk/seaangling/finalreport.htm.

Bees: Conservation

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if his Department will take steps to establish a network of wildflower paths to help reverse the decline in the UK bee population.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: The National Pollinator Strategy already includes commitments to improve, extend and connect pollinator habitats. For example, in 2015 we introduced a Pollinator and Wildlife Package to the Countryside Stewardship Scheme to provide a suite of habitats on farmland. Since 2011, management has been established on approximately 130,000 hectares of land to create new wildlife-rich habitat, principally through agri-environment schemes. The 25 Year Environment Plan reaffirms the Government’s commitment to expanding and connecting wildlife habitats through a Nature Recovery Network, which will drive how we deliver action for bees and other wildlife in the future. Mapping and high quality spatial information on the location and quality of existing habitats will be key to this. On 25 October, the Secretary of State announced new funding to develop and test pollinator habitat mapping and to help voluntary bodies and land managers to create pollinator-friendly landscapes.

Department for Exiting the European Union

Department for Exiting the European Union: Contracts

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, pursuant to the Answer of 18 October to Written Question 180067 on Department for Exiting the European Union: Contracts, whether his Department has used gagging clauses in contracts signed with any (a) commercial organisations or (b) individuals with the intention of stopping any criticism of Ministers of his Department.

Chris Heaton-Harris: Government departments make use of non-disclosure agreements when structuring engagements with business on preparations for leaving the EU. They are a common component of contractual arrangements that are used to protect commercial considerations of the parties involved or to protect sensitives around the development of Government policy.

Department for Exiting the European Union: Migrant Workers

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, how many citizens of non-UK EU countries work in (a) his Department, (b) its agencies and (c) its non-departmental public bodies.

Chris Heaton-Harris: Based on the self-declaration rates held on our system at the time of this question, the number of staff in the Department for Exiting the European Union of non - UK EU countries, is fewer than 10. This figure is based entirely on people identifying themselves as an EU national on the Department’s HR system.The Department has no agencies or non-departmental public bodies.

Research

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what recent discussions have been held with the EU on ensuring that scientists will have the same access to data and data sharing capability as their European counterparts after the UK leaves the EU.

Chris Heaton-Harris: The UK has been clear that it is committed to establishing a far-reaching science and innovation accord with the EU. Two rounds of initial discussions have taken place with the Article 50 Task Force on science and innovation, the first on 22 May and the second on 7 June. Both sets of discussions were constructive, demonstrating a strong case for continued collaboration in this area.This science and innovation accord will be underpinned by the UK’s wider agreements with the EU, including those on data sharing and protection. As we set out in our July 2018 White Paper, we are looking for an agreement with the EU that provides for the continued exchange of personal data between the UK and the EU with strong privacy protections for citizens.

Borders: Northern Ireland

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, if he will ensure that in further negotiations with the EU that the UK will not accept a border down the Irish Sea which will separate Northern Ireland from the rest of the UK.

Chris Heaton-Harris: The original proposals put forward by the EU are ones we cannot accept. It would mean creating a customs border down the Irish sea and breaking the integrity of the UK. The proposals we have put forward for our future economic relationship would allow both sides to meet our commitments to the people of Northern Ireland in full. We are working hard to get a deal on that basis. While we remain committed to resolving the Northern Ireland border through our overall economic relationship, the backstop is a critical issue, and we stand by all our commitments including the safeguarding of the constitutional and economic integrity of the United Kingdom.

Brexit

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, with reference to Article 127 of the 1994 European Economic Area (EEA) Agreement, whether the Government has given the twelve months’ written notice to the other Contracting Parties of its intention to withdraw from that Agreement.

Suella Braverman: The Government's legal position on this question remains unchanged: Article 127 does not need to be triggered for the European Economic Area (EEA) Agreement to cease to have effect. In the absence of any further action, the EEA Agreement will no longer operate in respect of the UK when we leave the EU. We do not consider, therefore, that providing written notice to the other Contracting Parties under Article 127 of the EEA Agreement is necessary.We agreed with the EU at March European Council that they will notify third parties that the UK will be treated as a Member State for the purposes of international agreements during the implementation period. This includes the EEA Agreement.

Government Departments: Disclosure of Information

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, pursuant to the Answer of 30 October 2018 to Question 182876 on Government Departments: Disclosure of Information, how many non-disclosure agreements his Department has made in relation to preparations for the UK leaving the EU.

Chris Heaton-Harris: Government departments make use of non-disclosure agreements when structuring engagements with businesses or other organisations on preparations for leaving the EU.They are also a common component of contractual arrangements that are used to protect commercial considerations of the parties involved or to protect sensitives around the development of Government policy.It is entirely normal practice to use such agreements and they are therefore sometimes necessary for Government departments who are responsible for managing their preparations for leaving the EU. This department has put a limited number of non-disclosure agreements in place in the course of its work.

Visas

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what discussions he has held with representatives of the (a) EU and (b) Governments of EU Member States on the potential consequences of the UK leaving the EU without a deal on visa-free travel between the UK and the EU.

Suella Braverman: The Secretary of State meets regularly with Michel Barnier and his EU counterparts to discuss the issues related to our exit. We are seeking to agree a reciprocal framework for mobility with the EU which will allow people to travel visa-free for tourism and temporary business activities. Leaving without a deal is in neither side’s interests: we remain confident the UK and EU will agree a mutually advantageous deal.

Attorney General

Serious Fraud Office: Staff

Catherine West: To ask the Attorney General, how many staff (a) employed directly by, (b) are seconded to and (c) work under contract in the Serious Fraud Office.

Robert Buckland: As of 30 September 2018 the Serious Fraud Office employed:Permanent Staff400Fixed term contract14Agency126Secondment or loan4

Legal Profession: Voluntary Work

Ellie Reeves: To ask the Attorney General, what steps he is taking to support the pro bono work of lawyers.

Robert Buckland: As pro bono champions in Government, the Attorney General and I attended events during Justice Week to encourage and support the excellent work being done by the pro bono community. We also chair the Pro Bono Committee that helps to promote and coordinate the work already being done by pro bono lawyers.From personal experience I know that pro bono work not only brings a sense of responsibility but also a tremendous sense of achievement and pride in what can be accomplished. Over the last year I have been immensely proud what has been achieved through the dedication of the all those involved in pro bono work and I am consistently struck by the commitment shown.

National Fund

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Attorney General, pursuant to the Answer of 23rd July 2018 to Question 165033 on the National Fund, whether he has received a hearing date from the High Court on his application to release the money held by the National Fund.

Robert Buckland: The National Fund was set up by a trust deed in 1928. The Fund is held on trust for the purpose of reducing the National Debt. According to expert evidence, there is no realistic prospect of the Fund ever amounting to a sum sufficient to pay off the whole of the National Debt. On 22nd May 2018 the former Attorney General made an application to the High Court to vary the terms of the charitable trust.While we expect the substantive hearing to take place in 2019, we have not yet received a hearing date from the High Court.

Wales Office

M4: Wales

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what discussions he has had with the Chief Secretary to the Treasury on representations received by the UK Government from the Welsh Government on increasing borrowing capacity to fund the M4 relief road.

Alun Cairns: I have frequent discussions with the Chief Secretary to the Treasury on a wide range of issues. I was pleased that the Chancellor was able to announce at Budget a review of the Welsh Government’s capital borrowing powers to consider whether the borrowing cap should be increased by up to £300m to support this vital project.

M4: Wales

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what discussions he has had with the Welsh Government on increasing borrowing capacity for the Welsh Government specifically to fund the M4 relief road.

Alun Cairns: I have regular discussions with the Welsh Government on a wide range of issues. The Welsh Government requested an extension to their borrowing powers to fund the M4 and I was pleased that the Chancellor was able to announce at Budget a review of the Welsh Government’s capital borrowing powers to consider whether the borrowing cap should be increased by up to £300m to support this vital project.

M4: Wales

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, if he will publish all communications between the Wales Office and the Welsh Government on increasing borrowing capacity to fund the M4 relief road.

Alun Cairns: The Welsh’s Government’s Cabinet Secretary for Finance wrote on 26th April to request an increase in borrowing capacity, including for the M4 project. I note that the Welsh Government has now published this letter, and I will place a copy in the Library of the House. Following a dialogue between the UK and Welsh Governments in the intervening period, I was pleased that the Chancellor was able to announce at Budget a review of the Welsh Government’s capital borrowing powers to consider whether the borrowing cap should be increased by up to £300m to support this vital project.

Wales Office: Apprentices

David Linden: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, how many apprentices are employed in his Department.

Mims Davies: The Office of the Secretary of State for Wales currently has three apprentices working in the Department.

European Regional Development Fund: Wales

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what specific and technical guidance has been provided to (a) charities, (b) local authorities and (c) the Welsh Government on how to apply for money under the funding guarantee for ERDF programmes in the event no deal being reached with the EU.

Alun Cairns: I have regular meetings with Welsh local authority leaders, charities, and Welsh Government ministers where a range of issues are discussed, including the impact of EU exit. The Government firmly believes it is in the interests of both the EU and the UK to strike a deal. That remains the goal on both sides and we are confident that this will be achieved. But it is the job of a responsible Government to prepare for all scenarios, so we have already carried out very significant ‘no deal’ preparations for the unlikely event that we reach March 2019 without agreeing a deal. We have already published over 100 technical notices so that businesses and citizens have time to prepare in the event of a 'no deal' scenario. These are available on gov.uk in a centralised location that is easy for people to access and use. Specifically guidance on European Regional Development Funding in a 'no deal' can be found here:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/european-regional-development-funding-if-theres-no-brexit-deal/european-regional-development-funding-if-theres-no-brexit-deal.

Ministry of Justice

Reoffenders

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what proportion of (a) women and (b) men who received custodial sentences of less than six months in each of the past three years had previously received (i) one (ii) between two and four (iii) five or more community sentences.

Rory Stewart: The number of offenders sentenced to immediate custody for less than six months in 2015 – 2017, broken down by gender and the number of community sentences the offender had previously received, can be viewed in the table. This information is broken down by 0 previous community sentences received, 1 previous community sentence received, 2-4 previous community sentences received, and 5 or more previous community sentences received.



Table
(Excel SpreadSheet, 14.36 KB)

Reoffenders

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many (a) women and (b) men were recalled to custody in each of the last three years as a result of (i) breach of licence conditions on release following a custodial sentence of over 12 months and (ii) breach of conditions during post-release supervision following a custodial sentence of under 12 months.

Rory Stewart: The breakdown of the number of women and men serving determinate sentences that were recalled to custody as a result of breach of licence conditions on release: Year(1)(a) Women(b) Men(i) Custodial sentence of 12 months and over(ii) Custodial sentence of under 12 months(i) Custodial sentence of 12 months and over(ii) Custodial sentence of under 12 months201570643415,1984,554201663772612,4107,092201764698611,7147,839 (1) The figures provided are for women and men recalled in each full year from 2015 to 2017. The figures do not include indeterminate sentenced offenders but may include offenders recalled more than once across multiple years or within years. The figures in these tables have been drawn from administrative IT systems, which, as with any large-scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing. Offenders serving a custodial period of less than 12 months became subject to supervision and licence conditions as a result of the commencement of the Offender Rehabilitation Act 2014 (ORA) provisions in February 2015. Prior to this, these offenders were released unconditionally. The breakdown of the number of women and men serving indeterminate sentences that were recalled to custody as a result of breach of licence conditions on release: Year(2)(a) Women(b) MenLife SentenceIndeterminate sentence for Public Protection (IPP)Life SentenceIndeterminate sentence for Public Protection (IPP)2015692063542016692064732017613216494 (2) The figures provided are for women and men recalled in each full year from 2015 to 2017 and may include offenders recalled more than once across multiple years or within years. The figures in these tables have been drawn from administrative IT systems, which, as with any large-scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing. As more offenders are reaching their minimum tariff dates, the number of first-time IPP releases continues to rise year on year, and there are consequently ever greater numbers of offenders on an IPP licence in the community. Correspondingly, and as is to be expected, the number of offenders on an IPP licence who are recalled to custody also continues to rise. Public protection is our priority and offenders on licence must comply with a strict set of conditions. If any offender breaches his licence conditions, s/he is liable to be recalled immediately to prison. (3) Further recall figures are available in published statistics https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/offender-management-statistics

Trials: Wales

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate he has made of the number of not guilty pleas entered by defendants accused of (a) violence against a person or persons, (b) sexual offences, (c) robbery, (d) theft offences, (e) criminal damage and arson, (f) drug offences, (g) possession of a weapon or weapons, (h) public order offences, (i) miscellaneous crimes against society, (j) fraud offences, (k) summary offences involving motoring, (l) summary offences not involving motoring appearing at Crown Court in Wales in each year from 2013 to 2017.

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many (a) guilty pleas and (b) not guilty pleas were entered by defendants accused of indictable offences appearing at Crown Court in Wales in each year from 2013 to 2017.

Lucy Frazer: Please refer to the tables provided for the number of defendants entering not guilty pleas at Crown Court in Wales broken down by offence group in each year from 2013 to 2017. The number of guilty and not guilty pleas for indictable offences can be created by summing all offence groups except summary non-motoring and summary-motoring.



Table
(Excel SpreadSheet, 14.08 KB)

Criminal Proceedings

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate he has made of the number of first-time entrants to the justice system who were (a) male, (b) female and (c) uncategorised sex in each year from 2013 to 2017.

Rory Stewart: The information requested is available in Offending History Data Tool: First Time Entrants Statistics analysis tool which is available at the link below:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/criminal-justice-system-statistics-quarterly-december-2017

Debt Collection

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the number of civilian enforcement officers who have been employed by HM Courts and Tribunals Services in each of the last four quarters.

Lucy Frazer: The number of civilian enforcement officers that were employed by HM Courts and Tribunals Services for the last four quarters are:- HeadcountFTE (Full time Equivalent)2017-18 Q3 end135126.072017-18 Q4 end130120.342018-19 Q1 end125116.042018-19 Q2 end117108.71

Marston Holdings

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate he has made of the amount paid from the public purse to Marston Holdings for approved enforcement agency work in each of the last four quarters.

Lucy Frazer: Quarter 3 2017/18£356,145Quarter 4 2017/18£335,760Quarter 1 2018/19£290,020Quarter 2 2018/19£436,050 £1,417,975

Wills

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice,  what the timetable is for the Law Commission to submit its report on wills.

Edward Argar: Under the 13th Programme of Law Reform, the Law Commission expected to complete its project on the law of wills in 2019. It is currently reviewing that timetable in the light of its wider programme of work.

Prisoners: Per Capita Costs

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate his Department has made of the cost per prison place of a prison built with (a) with private finance and (b) funds from the public purse.

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of building the new prison at Glen Parva.

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 16 October 2018 to Question 178349 on Prisons: Private Sector and with reference to paragraph 5.28 of the Budget 2018 setting out the allocation of Government funding for the building of HMP Glen Parva, how the construction of that prison will be funded.

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to paragraph 1.51 of the Budget 2018, whether his Department plans to build new prisons using private finance.

Rory Stewart: As set out on the 26 June at the Justice Select Committee and in the 2017 manifesto, we remain committed to building up to 10,000 modern and decent prison places to replace old, expensive and unsuitable accommodation. In the Budget 2018 it was announced that we now intend to build the second prison at Glen Parva through public capital. This will enable the prison to open earlier than originally planned to meet the needs of the growing and complex prison population. The redevelopment will be subject to value for money and affordability tests. While we cannot comment at this stage on the anticipated cost, the newest prison in the estate, HMP Berwyn in North Wales, cost £220 million when it was built in 2015-16. Only PF2 is being retired. We will continue to explore funding routes for the delivery of the remainder of the new places, including through private investment. The average cost per prisoner, costs per prison place and overall prison unit costs for each private and public sector prison in England and Wales are routinely published by Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service. This information is produced on an annual basis and is published after the end of each financial year in the Prison and Probation Performance Statistics pages on the www.gov.uk website. We are investing tens of millions extra in prisons to ensure they remain places of rehabilitation and safe for prisoners and staff. A breakdown on cost details per prison place in respect of public sector prisons and those operated under contract (which includes privately financed prisons) can be found within the link under the file named: Costs per prison place and cost per prisoner 2017-18: supplementary information. Our investment includes the recruitment and training of over 3,500 new prison officers in the last two years which has increased our spending on prisons. This investment ensures prisoners have a genuine chance to turn their lives around and ultimately protects the public from crime.

Ministry of Justice: Contracts

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many of his Department's contracts which are open for tender have been subject to bids from companies that are under Serious Fraud Office investigation for overcharging his Department.

Rory Stewart: This information could only be obtained at a disproportionate cost. The tendering of any new requirement, or retender of an existing contract, are subject to the Public Contracts Regulations and will be published in accordance with standard practice. Since January 2011 details of central government contracts above the value of £10,000, including details of suppliers to whom contracts have been awarded, are published on Contracts Finder. Contracts published prior to 26 February 2015 can be viewed at: https://data.gov.uk/data/contracts-finder-archive Those published after 26 February 2015 can be viewed at: https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Search”.

Coroners: Legal Aid Scheme

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate he has made of the number of applications for exceptional case funding for legal aid for inquests that have been refused and subsequently granted following an appeal.

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the average length of time between an application for legal aid for inquests under the exceptional case funding scheme and a decision made was in each of the last five years.

Lucy Frazer: 185680: Between the inception of the legal aid scheme in April 2013 to the most recent period for which published statistics are available (June 2018), a total of 100 applications for exceptional case funding for inquests were subsequently granted (or granted in part) following a review.185681: The average time elapsed between an application for exceptional case funding for an inquest being received and a decision being given, for the five complete financial years since the inception of the ECF scheme, is shown below.Financial YearAverage working days (including time spent on hold)2013-14152014-15332015-16632016-17492017-1830

Children: Poverty

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department has taken to ensure that progress is made on implementing the recommendations made to the UK in 2017 under the Universal Periodic Review process on children's rights and the elimination of child poverty.

Edward Argar: The Government remains a strong advocate of the United Nations Human Rights Council and its Universal Periodic Review of the human rights record of all United Nations Member States. The Government also remains fully committed to children’s rights and the continued compliance with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.At the end of August 2017, we responded to the recommendations received from other Member States during the dialogue last May under the Universal Periodic Review. That response, including in relation to children’s rights, is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/third-universal-periodic-review-uk-response-to-the-recommendationsIn the same response, the Government committed to follow up the recommendations by preparing a mid-term report on all recommendations in 2019. Over the coming months, the department will continue to work with civil society organisations on the preparation of this report.

Prisons: Construction

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether the new prisons planned to be built at (a) Glen Parva and (b) Wellingborough will be (a) operated and (b) managed by a private company.

Rory Stewart: As set out on the 26 June at the Justice Select Committee and in the 2017 manifesto, we remain committed to building up to 10,000 modern and decent prison places to replace old, expensive and unsuitable accommodation. As the Chancellor set out in the budget on 30 October, we intend to build the first two prisons through public capital at Wellingborough, which is due to open in 2021 and Glen Parva, which we expect to open in 2022. We are planning to launch a competition later this year to establish a framework from which the operators of the new prisons will be chosen.HM Prison and Probation Service will not take part in the prison competition. We will provide a ‘public sector benchmark’ against which operators’ bids can be assessed and will take on the provider role if bids do not meet quality or value for money thresholds.

Edward Argar

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, for what reason the ministerial responsibilities of Edward Argar are not listed on the relevant Ministry of Justice web page.

Edward Argar: An administrative oversight led to the responsibilities of Justice Minister Edward Argar not being displayed on his Gov.UK profile page. His responsibilities are in line with those of his predecessor and the webpage has now been updated to show this.

Road Traffic Offences: Sentencing

Sir Desmond Swayne: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 11 September 2017 to Question 7193, what progress he has made on the review of the maximum penalties for driving offences resulting in death and or serious injury.

Rory Stewart: The government response to the consultation on driving offences and penalties relating to causing death or serious injury was published on 16 October 2017. We will bring forward proposals for changes in the law as soon as parliamentary time allows. These proposals will take account of, and incorporate, all of government’s proposals for safer roads, including any arising from the Department of Transport’s review of cycle safety.

Cabinet Office

Cabinet Office: Facebook

Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to his Department's transparency data entitled Expenditure over £25,000 - September 2018, if he will list the marketing goods and services that were purchased from Facebook under transaction number 20000547.

Chloe Smith: The total cost of Facebook invoice 2000547 was £44,219.20. The costs incurred refer to three pieces of activity bought via the Cabinet Office’s credit account with Facebook between 1 - 13 July 2018. They were: Description of advertising activityTotal cost on invoiceVideo content explaining the government’s 12 principles for negotiating with the European Union.£40,000.00Video content explaining the government’s announcement of over £20 billion extra a year in real terms by 2023/4 for the NHS£3,944.39Content promoting UK Government services available in Scotland, by the Scotland Office£274.81

Government Digital Service: Resignations

Jo Platt: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many employees have left the Government Digital Service in each of the last six years.

Oliver Dowden: The table below sets out the number of staff that have left by the Government Digital Service (GDS) in each of the last seven years, as of 29th October 2018: YearLeaver numbers201239201332201456201510320169920171482018 (to date)180

Arthritis

Jim Shannon: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many people have died from arthritis in each of the last five years.

Chloe Smith: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.



UKSA response 
(PDF Document, 74.06 KB)

PA Consulting Group

Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the nature of the recent work was for his Department for which PA Consulting received £220,000.

Mr David Lidington: The Cabinet Office recently published a set of transparency data on gov.uk which details expenditure totalling approximately £1.6m for the expense area of ‘Central EU Exit Consultancy’. Established in April 2018, 'Central EU Exit Consultancy’ refers to a set of contracts that enables government departments to secure resource quickly for critical work on the preparations and implementation of EU exit. The work by PA Consulting was under this Central EU Exit Consultancy arrangement the nature of which was to support two Departments: (1) DExEU Business Readiness Communications Team and (2) Border Force Operational Readiness Portfolio Management Office.

Government Departments: Billing

Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what proportion of government contractors pay invoices submitted by subcontractors within 30 days as required by The Public Contracts Regulations 2015.

Oliver Dowden: This information is not held centrally. Government strongly encourages businesses to report poor payment practice and instances of late payment in public sector contracts, including late payment through the supply chain, to its Mystery Shopper service.

Government Departments: Billing

Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many and what proportion of Government contractors that employ over 250 people have signed up to the Prompt Payment Code.

Oliver Dowden: This information is not held centrally. However, a list of signatories to the Prompt Payment Code can be viewed at the following link: http://ppc.promptpaymentcode.org.uk/ppc/ppc_signatory.a4d The majority of government’s strategic suppliers are signatories to the Code and payment practices of government’s largest suppliers are regularly monitored to ensure that they are in line with the aims of prompt payment policy. While the Prompt Payment Code is voluntary, any new strategic supplier to government is encouraged to sign up.

Harvey Weinstein

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 23 October 2018 to Question 182765 on Harvey Weinstein, for what reasons the Forfeiture Committee is unlikely to take action to remove the honorary CBE awarded to Harvey Weinstein until the end of legal proceedings; and if he will make a statement.

Chloe Smith: The Government does not make any comment or statement in relation to the details of individual cases. The Forfeiture Committee is not an investigatory body: it does not decide whether or not someone is guilty or innocent of a particular act. The Forfeiture Committee generally considers it inappropriate to pre-judge the outcome of legal proceedings.

House of Commons Commission

House of Commons: Harassment

Mrs Maria Miller: To ask the right hon. Member for Carshalton and Wallington, representing the House of Commons Commission, with reference to the letter from the Chief Executive of the Equality and Human Rights Commission to the Clerk of the House of 19 March 2018 on Newsnight report into bullying and harassment, if the Commission will publish the response to that letter; and what information was provided to the Equality and Human Rights Commission in response to the questions listed at the end of that letter.

Tom Brake: The Clerk of the House replied to the letter from the Equality and Human Rights Commission on 23 March 2018. A copy of that reply has already been sent to the Women and Equalities Committee and has been placed in the Library.The letter from the Equality and Human Rights Commission listed a number of matters they wished to discuss at a meeting. These were discussed at a meeting on 23 April 2018.